I 


I 


' 


THE   PIONEERS. 


OF  THE 

UHIVERSIT7 


"  Startled  by  this  circumstance,  Miss  Temple  sprang  on  her  feet,  and  turning  her 
eyes  towards  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  she  beheld  it  covered  by  a  similar  can 
opy,  while  a  roaring  sound  was  heard  in  the  fores'  above  her  like  the  rushing  of 
winds.'' —  The  Pioneers,  p.  421. 


THE   PIONEERS 

OR 

THE  SOURCES  OF  THE  SUSQUEHANNA 

A  DESCRIPTIVE  TALE 

BY 

J.  FENIMORE  COOPER 

WITH    AN 

INTRODUCTION  BY  SUSAN  FENIMORE  COOPER 


Extremes  of  habits,  manners,  time,  and  space, 
Brought  close  together,  here  stood  face  to  face, 
And  gave  at  once  a  contrast  to  the  view, 
That  other  lands  and  ages  never  knew. 

PAULDINQ. 


BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFL1N  AND   COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1876, 
BT  SUSAN  FENIMORE  COOPER. 


RIVERSIDE,  CAMBRIDGE: 

iTEREOTTPED  AND  PRINTED  BT 

H.  0.  HOUGHTON  AND  COMPANY. 


Al 


INTBOTJCTION. 

As  this  work  professes,  in  its  title-page,  to  be  a  descr-p- 
tive  tale,  they  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  read  it  may  be 
glad  to  know  how  much  of  its  contents  is  literal  fact,  and 
how  much  is  intended  to  represent  a  general  picture.  The 
author  is  very  sensible  that,  had  he  confined  himself  to  the 
latter,  always  the  most  effective,  as  it  is  the  most  valuable 
mode  of  conveying  knowledge  of  this  nature,  he  would  have 
made  a  far  better  book.  But  in  commencing  to  describe 
scenes,  and  perhaps  he  may  add  characters,  that  were  so  fa 
miliar  to  his  own  youth,  there  was  a  constant  temptation  to 
delineate  that  which  he  had  known,  rather  than  that  which 
he  might  have  imagined.  This  rigid  adhesion  to  truth,  an 
indispensable  requisite  in  history  and  travels,  destroys  the 
charm  of  fiction  ;  for  all  that  is  necessary  to  be  conveyed  to 
the  mind  by  the  latter  had  better  be  done  by  delineations  of 
principles,  and  of  characters  in  their  classes,  than  by  a  too 
fastidious  attention  to  originals. 

New  York  having  but  one  county  of  Otsego,  and  the 
Susquehanna  but  one  proper  source,  there  can  be  no  mis 
take  as  to  the  site  of  the  tale.  The  history  of  this  district 
of  country,  so  far  as  it  is  connected  with  civilized  men,  ii 
BOO  11  told. 

Oisego,  in  common  with  most  of  the  interior  of  the  prov 
ince  of  New  York,  was  included  in  the  county  of  Albany, 
previously  to  the  war  of  the  separation.  It  then  became,  in 
ft  subsequent  division  of  territory,  a  part  cf  Montgomery  •, 
and,  finally,  having  obtained  a  sufficient  population  of  ita 
»wn,  it  was  sot  apart  as  a  county  by  itself,  shortly  after  tht 


n  INTRODUCTION. 

peace  of  1783.  It  lies  among  those  low  spurs  of  the  Allo» 
ghauies  which  cover  the  midland  counties  of  New  York; 
and  it  is  a  little  east  of  a  meridional  line  drawn  through  the 
centre  of  the  State.  As  the  waters  of  New  York  either  flow 
southerly  into  the  Atlantic  or  northerly  into  Ontario  and 
its  outlet,  Otsego  Lake,  being  the  source  of  the  Susque- 
hanna,  is,  of  necessity,  among  its  highest  lands.  The  face  of 
the  country,  the  climate  as  it  was  found  by  the  whites,  and 
the  manners  of  the  settlers,  are  described  with  a  minuteness 
for  which  the  author  has  no  other  apology  than  the  force  of 
his  own  recollections. 

Otsego  is  said  to  be  a  word  compounded  of  Ot,  a  place  of 
meeting,  and  Sego,  or  Sago,  the  ordinary  term  of  salutation 
used  by  the  Indians  of  this  region.  There  is  a  tradition 
which  says  that  the  neighboring  tribes  were  accustomed  to 
meet  on  the  banks  of  the  lake  to  make  their  treaties,  and 
otherwise  to  strengthen  their  alliances,  and  which  refers  the 
name  to  this  practice.  As  the  Indian  agent  of  New  York 
had  a  log  dwelling  at  the  foot  of  the  lake,  however,  it  is  not 
impossible  that  the  appellation  grew  out  of  the  meetings 
that  were  held  at  his  council  fires  ;  the  war  drove  off  the 
agent,  in  common  with  the  other  officers  of  the  crown ;  and 
his  rude  dwelling  was  soon  abandoned.  The  author  remem 
bers  it  a  few  years  later,  reduced  to  the  humble  office  of  a 
smoke-house. 

In  1779,  an  expedition  was  sent  against  the  hostile  Indians, 
who  dwelt  about  a  hundred  miles  west  of  Otsego,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Cayuga.  The  whole  country  was  then  a  wil 
derness,  and  it  was  necessary  to  transport  the  baggage  of 
the  troops  by  means  of  the  rivers,  a  devious  but  practicable 
route.  One  brigade  ascended  the  Mohawk,  until  it  reached 
the  point  nearest  to  the  sources  of  the  Susquehanna,  whence 
it  cut  a  lane  through  the  forest  to  the  head  of  the  Otsego, 
The  boats  and  baggage  were  carried  over  this  "  portage," 
and  the  troops  proceeded  to  the  other  extremity  of  the  lake, 
where  they  disembarked,  and  encamped.  The  Susquehanna, 
a  narrow  though  rapid  stream  at  its  source,  was  much  tilled 


INTRODUCTION.  rfc 

with  "  flood  w(K)d,"  or  fallen  trees;  and  the  tioops  adopted 
a  novel  expedient  to  facilitate  their  passage.  The  Otsego  is 
about  nine  miles  in  length,  varying  in  breadth  from  half  a 
mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half.  The  water  is  of  great  depth,  lim 
pid,  and  supplied  from  a  thousand  springs.  At  its  foot,  the 
banks  are  rather  less  than  thirty  feet  high  ;  the  remainder 
of  its  margin  being  in  mountains,  intervals,  and  points.  The 
outlet,  or  the  Susquehanna,  flows  through  a  gorge  in  the  low 
banks  just  mentioned,  which  may  have  a  width  of  two  hun 
dred  feet.  This  gorge  was  dammed,  and  the  waters  of  the 
lake  collected :  the  Susquehanna  was  converted  into  a  rill. 
Whsn  all  was  ready,  the  troops  embarked,  the  dam  was 
knocked  away,  the  Otsego  poured  out  its  torrent,  and  the 
boats  went  merrily  down  with  the  current. 

General  James  Clinton,  the  brother  of  George  Clinton, 
then  Governor  of  New  York,  and  the  father  of  De  Witt  Clin 
ton,  who  died  governor  of  the  same  State  in  1827,  com 
manded  the  brigade  employed  on  this  duty.  During  the 
stay  of  the  troops  at  the  foot  of  the  Otsego  a  soldier  was  shot 
for  desertion.  The  grave  of  this  unfortunate  man  was  the 
first  place  of  human  interment  that  the  author  ever  beheld, 
as  the  smoke-house  was  the  first  ruin.  The  swivel  alluded 
to  in  this  work  was  buried  and  abandoned  by  the  troops  on 
this  occasion  ;  and  it  was  subsequently  found  in  digging  the 
•jellars"  of  the  author's  paternal  residence. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war,  Washington,  accompanied 
Hy  many  distinguished  men,  visited  the  scene  of  this  tale,  it 
is  said,  with  a  view' to  examine  the  facilities  for  opening  a 
communication  by  water  with  other  points  of  the  country. 
He  stayed  but  a  few  hours. 

In  1785,  the  author's  father,  who  had  an  interest  in 
extensive  tracts  of  land  in  this  wilderness,  arrived  with  a 
party  of  surveyors.  The  manner  in  which  the  scene  met 
his  eye  is  described  by  Judge  Temple.  At  the  commence 
ment  of  the  following  year  the  settlement  began  ;  and  from 
that  time  to  this  the  country  has  continued  to  flourish.  It 
0  a  singular  feature  in  American  life,  that,  at  the  beginning 


INTRODUCTION. 

of  this  century,  when  the  proprietor  of  the  estate  had  occa  j 
gion  for  settlers  on  a  new  settlement,  and  in  a  remote  county,  ' 
lie  was  enabled  to  draw  them  from  among  the  increase  of 
the  former  colony. 

Although  the  settlement  of  this  part  of  Otsego  a  little  pre 
ceded  the  birth  of  the  author,  it  was  not  sufficiently  advanced 
to  render  it  desirable  that  an  event,  so  important  to  himself, 
/should  take  place  in  the  wilderness.  Perhaps  his  mother 
had  a  reasonable  distrust  of  the  practice  of  Dr.  Todd,  who 
must  then  have  been  in  the  novitiate  of  his  experimental 
acquirements.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  author  waa  brought 
an  infant  into  this  valley,  and  all  his  first  impressions  were 
here  obtained.  He  has  inhabited  it  ever  since,  at  intervals ; 
and  he  thinks  he  can  answer  for  the  faithfulness  of  the  pic 
ture  he  has  drawn. 

Otsego  has  now  become  one  of  the  most  popul  HIS  districts 
of  New  York.  Jt  sends  forth  its  emigrants  like  any  other 
old  region ;  and  it  is  pregnant  with  industry  and  enterprise. 
Its  manufactures  are  prosperous  ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  remark, 
that  one  of  the  most  ingenious  machines  known  in  European 
art  is  derived  from  the  keen  ingenuity  which  is  exercised 
in  this  remote  region. 

In  order  to  prevent  mistake,  it  may  be  well  to  say  that 
the  incidents  of  this  tale  are  purely  a  fiction.  The  literal 
facts  are  chiefly  connected  with  the  natural  and  artificial 
objects,  and  the  customs  of  the  inhabitants.  Thus  the  acad 
emy,  and  court-house,  and  jail,  and  inn,  and  most  similar 
things,  are  tolerably  exact.  They  have  all,  long  since,  given 
place  to  other  buildings  of  a  more  pretending  character.9 
There  is  also  some  liberty  taken  with  the  truth  in  the  de 
scription  of  the  principal  dwelling  :  the  real  building  had  no 
'  firstly  "  and  "  lastly.  "  It  was  of  bricks,  and  not  of  stone ; 
and  its  roof  exhibited  none  of  the  peculiar  beauties  of  the 
"  composite  order. "  It  was  erected  ic  an  age  too  primitive 
for  that  ambitious  school  of  architecture.  But  the  author 
indulged  his  recollections  freely  when  he  had  fairly  entered 
the  door.  Here  all  is  literal,  even  to  the  severed  arm 


INTRODUCTION.  il 

of  Wolfe,  and   tho   urn  which  held  the  ashes   of  Queen 

Dido.1 

The  author  has  elsewhere  said  that  the  character  of 
Leather-Stocking  is  a  creation,  rendered  probable  by  such 
auxiliaries  as  were  necessary  to  produce  that  effect.  Had 
he  drawn  still  more  upon  fancy,  the  lovers  of  fiction  would 
not  have  so  much  cause  for  their  objections  to  his  work. 
Still  the  picture  would  not  have  been  in  the  least  true,  with 
out  some  substitutes  for  most  of  the  other  personages.  The 
great  proprietor  resident  on  his  lands,  and  giving  his  name 
to,  instead  of  receiving  it  from  his  estates,  as  in  Europe,  is 
common  over  the  whole  of  New  York.  The  physician,  with 
his  theory,  rather  obtained  than  corrected  by  experiments 
3n  the  human  constitution  ;  the  pious,  self-denying,  laborious, 
and  ill-paid  missionary  :  the  half-educated,  litigious,  envious, 
and  disreputable  lawyer,  with  his  counterpoise,  a  brother  of 
,he  profession,  of  better  origin  and  of  better  character  ;  the 
shiftless,  bargaining,  discontented  seller  of  his  "better 
ments  ;  "  the  plausible  carpenter,  and  most  of  the  others,  are 
more  familiar  to  all  who  have  ever  dwelt  in  a  new  country. 

It  may  be  well  to  say  here,  a  little  more  explicitly,  that 
there  was  no  intention  to  describe  with  particular  accuracy 
any  real  characters  in  this  book.  It  has  been  often  said, 
and  in  published  statements,  that  the  heroine  of  this  book 
was  drawn  after  a  sister  of  the  writer,  who  was  killed  by  a 
fall  from  a  horse  now  near  half  a  century  since.  So  irgen 
ions  is  conjecture,  that  a  personal  resemblance  has  been  dis 
covered  between  the  fictitious  character  and  the  deceased 
relative !  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  describe  two  females  of 
the  same  class  in  life,  who  would  be  less  alike,  personally, 
than  Elizabeth  Temple  and  the  sister  of  the  author  who 
met  with  the  deplorable  fate  mentioned.  In  a  word,  the}7 

1  Though  forests  still  crown  the  mountains  of  Otsego,  the  bear,  the  wolf, 
and  the  panther  are  nearly  strangers  to  them.  Even  the  innocent  deer  ii 
raroly  seen  bounding  beneath  their  arches  ;  for  the  rifle,  and  the  activity  of 
the  icttlers,  have  driven  them  to  other  haunts.  To  this  change  (which,  in 
•erne  particulars,  is  melancholy  to  one  who  knew  the  country  in  ita  infancy) 
U  may  be  added,  that  the  Otsego  is  beginning  to  be  a  niggard  of  iU  treasure* 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

wore  as  unlike  in  this  respect,  as  in  history,  character,  and 
fortunes. 

Circumstances  rendered  this  sister  singularly  dear  to  the 
author.  After  a  lapse  of  half  a  century,  he  is  writing  this 
paragraph  with  a  pain  that  would  induce  him  to  cancel  it, 
were  it  not  still  more  painful  to  have  it  believed  that  one 
whom  he  regarded  with  a  reverence  that  surpassed  the  love 
of  a  brother,  was  converted  by  him  into  the  heroine  of  a 
work  of  fiction. 

From  circumstances  which,  after  this  introduction,  will  be 
obvious  to  all,  the  author  has  had  more  pleasure  in  writing 
**  The  Pioneers  "  than  the  book  will,  probably,  ever  give  any 
of  its  readers.  He  is  quite  aware  of  its  numerous  faults, 
some  of  which  he  has  endeavored  to  repair  in  this  edition  ; 
but  as  he  has  —  in  intention,  at  least  —  done  his  full  share 
in  amusing  the  world,  he  trusts  to  its  good  nature  for  over 
looking  this  attempt  to  please  himself. 


INTBODUCTIOK 

BY  SUSAN  FENIMORE  COOPEB. 


a  THE  PIONEERS  "  was  the  first,  in  point  of  time,  of  tha 
Leather-Stocking  Tales,  having  been  published-tn  1822. 

The  "  Spy"  had  just  appeared,  and  had  met  with  a  warm 
reception.  The  glow  of  success  was  still  fresh  upon  the 
author  when  he  again  decided  to  try  "one  more  book." 
The  new  narrative,  like  that  which  preceded  it,  was,  in  one 
sense,  to  be  connected  with  the  history  of  the  country ;  it 
should  follow  the  first  steps  of  civilization  in  its  conquests 
over  the  wilderness,  and  its  scenes  should  be  enacted  in  the 
valley  of  the  Otsego,  the  home  of  his  own  boyhood.  Hia 
first  childish  recollections  were  all  closely  connected  with 
the  forests  and  hills,  the  fresh  clearings,  new  fields  and 
homes  on  the  banks  of  the  Otsego.  It  was  here  his  boy's 
strength  was  first  tried  in  those  sports  to  which  gray-headed 
men,  amid  the  scenes  of  later  life,  delight  to  look  back. 
From  the  first  bow  and  arrow,  kite  and  ball,  to  later  feats 
in  riding,  fishing,  swimming,  skating,  all  were  connected, 
during  the  first  ten  years  of  his  life,  with  his  highland  home. 
Healthy,  and  remarkably  active,  he  delighted  in  every  exer 
cise  of  the  kind  —  a  brave,  blithe-hearted,  impetuous,  but 
most  generous  and  upright  lad,  as  he  is  remembered  by 
those  who  knew  him  in  childhood.  Here  also  his  education 
began.  His  first  lessons  were  learned  by  the  side  of  an 
elder  sister,  an  uncommonly  lovely  and  engaging  person, 
*ho  was  lost  to  her  family  at  the  age  of  twenty- two  by  a 
\nost  painful  accident,  a  fall  from  her  horse.  Her  young 


Xli  INTRODUCTION. 

pupil  and  brother  never  spoke  of  this  sister  without  emo 
tion,  to  the  very  last  months  of  his  own  life. 

But  school  days  soon  began  for  him  in  earnest.  "Master" 
Oliver  Cory  kept  the  village  school  at  that  date,  a  man 
remarkably  well  qualified  for  the  honorable  post  —  labo- 
i  ious,  upright^  firm  in  discipline,  yet  patient  and  kindly  by 
nature.  His  training  of  the  boys  was  excellent.  Every 
Saturday  was  devoted  to  religious  instruction,  while  morals 
and  manners  were  the  subject  of  careful  though  quiet  at 
tention  on  his  part.  He  took  pleasure  in  being  called  "  Mas. 
ter  "  Cory,  a  title  generally  conceded  to  him.  The  school 
was  kept  in  an  ambitious  edifice  called  "the  Academy," 
one  Df  those  tasteless  buildings  which  afflict  all  new  coun 
tries.  It  served  many  different  purposes  in  its  day  —  polit 
ical  meetings,  religious  services,  and  the  public  courts  were 
held  under  its  roof,  varied  by  an  occasional  ball.  Those 
were  not  the  times  for  lectures  and  concerts.  Master  Cory 
and  his  pupils,  however,  seem  to  have  had  a  taste  for  music. 
Judge  Cooper  had  brought  from  Philadelphia  a  large,  up 
right,  barrel  organ  of  more  than  common  power,  and  dignity 
of  exterior,  altogether  the  most  imposing  musical  instrument 
which  had  yet  found  its  way  to  the  shores  of  the  Otsego  ;  it 
was  put  up  in  the  hall  of  the  mansion-house,  where  tor 
years  it  went  on  playing  reels  and  country-dances  almost 
every  evening,  to  say  nothing  of  its  many  graver  perform 
ances.  The  arrival  of  this  organ  in  the  village  produced  a 
sensation  which  might  be  compared  to  the  appearance  of 
some  brilliant  musical  star,  some  prima  donna  assoluta  ia  a 
large  town,  at  the  present  day.  When  carefully  put  in  its 
position,  and  duly  prepared  for  performance,  a  sort  of  re 
hearsal  was  held.  The  weather  was  warm,  the  broad  doors 
and  ample  windows  of  the  hall  were  all  open  as  usual,  and 
as  Master  Cory  found  to  his  cost.  The  Academy  stood  on 
the  street  adjoining  the  grounds  of  Otsego  Hall,  ar,d  as  the 
first  strains  of  "  Hail  Columbia  "  poured  into  the  school 
room,  the  effect  on  the  children  was  electrical ;  never  before 
had  such  music  been  heard  by  them.  Jenny  Lind  could 

t/ 


INTRODUCTION.  liil 

icarcely  have  delighted  the  students  of  a  German  univer- 
lity  in  a  higher  degree.  Amazement,  inattention,  confusion 
succeeded  each  other  until  disorder  threatened  the  whole 
school.  Fortunately  Master  Cory  was  equal  to  the  emer 
gency  ;  he  saw  clearly  the  only  course  to  be  taken :  "  Boys, 
organ  is  a  remarkable  instrument;  you  have  never 
heard  the  like  of  it  before.  I  give  you  half  an  hour's  inter 
mission.  Go  into  the  street,  and  listen  to  the  music ! " 

But  Master  Cory  and  his  pupils  were  not  always  content 
to  play  audience.  They  chose  to  be  performers  sometimes. 
Annual  exhibitions  took  place,  during  which  the  Academy 
was  thronged  to  hear  the  speeches  of  Coriolanus  or  Othello, 
of  Brutus  and  Cassius,  delivered  by  raw  lads  from  the  village 
and  adjoining  farms,  equipped  in  the  local  militia  uniform  — 
hats  of  the  date  of  1776,  blue  coats  faced  with  red,  and 
matross  swords  —  exhibitions  which  are  still  a  subject  of 
merriment  to  those  who  remember  them.  The  future 
author  of  "  The  Pioneers,"  then  a  child  of  seven  or  eight, 
was  much  commended  on  one  of  these  occasions  for  his 
moving  recitation  of  the  "  Beggar's  Petition,"  in  the  char 
acter  of  an  old  man,  wrapped  in  a  faded  cloak,  and  bending 
over  his  staff.  It  chanced  more  than  half  a  century  later, 
that  one  summer's  day,  as  good  old  Master  Cory,  then  more 
than  fourscore  years  of  age,  was  crossing  the  village  bridge, 
driven  by  a  relative,  he  met  his  former  pupil  going  out  to 
his  farm  at  the  Chalet.  Mr.  Cooper,  then  already  suffering 
from  the  first  stages  of  his  fatal  illness,  no  sooner  sa'w  the 
renerable  white-haired  old  man  than  he  stopped  his  horse, 
get  down  from  his  wagon,  and  went  to  shake  hands  with 
the  old  Master.  But  Master  Cory,  with  a  high  estimate  of 
literary  merit,  natural,  perhaps,  to  one  of  his  former  pur 
suits1,  but  which  others  might  not  have  felt,  with  old  fashioned 
cour:esy  also  left  his  wagon,  unwilling  to  remain  seated 
while  his  old  pupil  stood  on  foot  by  his  side.  Most  kindly 
was  the  greeting  on  both  sides.  One  who  was  present  at 
this  meeting  on  the  bridge,  spoke  of  it  afterwards  as  very 
pleasing.  After  a  little  chat  Master  Cory  was  persuaded  tc 


JUT  INTRODUCTION. 

return  to  the  Hall,  where  he  and  his  old  pupil  passed  a] 
pleasant  morning  together,  talking  over  old  times.  But] 
there  was  one  point  on  which  Master.  Cory  was  sensitive;! 
he  would  not  allow  even  a  smile  in  connection  with  the 
"  Beggar's  Petition."  It  is  to  be  feared  that  even  after  the 
lapse  of  half  a  century  the  good  old  man  still  indulged  in  | 
certain  emotions  of  undue  pride  when  dwelling  on  the  cor- 
rectness  of  his  little  pupil's  pathetic  performance  on  that 
occasion.  He  evidently  considered  it  as  high  tragedy. 

After  a  year  or  two  at  the  Academy,  however,  a  school ! 
of  higher  aims  in  the  way  of  instruction  had  been  deemed 
necessary.  The  youngest  son  of  the  house  was  sent  from 
home.  This  eventful  journey  was  made  under  the  care  of 
a  worthy  farmer  of  the  neighborhood,  who  was  carrying 
toward  the  Hudson  a  load  of  wheat  from  the  new  fields  of 
Otsego,  then  considered  a  great  grain  country.  The  route 
taken  was  the  turnpike,  a  great  western  thoroughfare  at  j 
that  day,  running  between  the  valley  of  the  Hudson  and  the 
Chenango  River.  This  road  had  been  only  recently  com 
pleted  as  far  as  Cherry  Valley,  and  wonders  were  expected 
from  it.  The  young  traveller  had  heard  this  new  triumph 
of  civilization  so  much  discussed  at  his  father's  table,  that 
his  curiosity  to  see  it  was  extreme.  Directors  and  stock" 
holders  were  endeavoring  to  solve  the  difficult  question  aa 
to  what  should  be  done  with  the  tolls,  a  dividend  of  ten  per 
cent,  being  all  that  was  allowed  by  the  charter ;  stone 
bridges  were  planned,  and  certain  visionary  spirits  even 
talked  of  lighting  the  road  at  night  as  a  means  of  disposing 
of  the  surplus  fund  !  At  length  the  school-boy's  eyes  were 
gratified  with  a  sight  of  this  famous  turnpike  —  its  magnifi 
cent  breadth,  its  scientific  construction,  the  directness  of  its 
course,  its  excellent  condition,  when  compared  with  the  rude 
corduroy  track  by  which  it  had  been  reached,  became  very 
impressive  indeed.  As  they  trotted  slowly  alcng,  the 
farmer  pointed  out  among  other  marvels  the  taverns  spring 
ing  up  within  sight  of  each  other,  throughout  the  sixty  miles 
between  Albany  and  Lake  Otsego  —  "A  tavern  for  everv 


INTRODUCTION.  X^» 

mile ! "  as  it  was  boastfully  proclaimed,  a  fact  certainly 
remarkable,  showing  clearly  as  it  does  the  very  rapid  stride* 
with  which  civilization  moved  through  the  forest  at  thai; 
period.  A  long  train  of  farm  wagons,  heavily  laden  witll 
the  precious  wheat,  then  very  high  in  value  owing  to  the 
great  European  wars,  were  rolling  slowly  eastward.  Emi 
grant  teams,  crowded  with  growing  families  and  household 
gear,  were  moving  in  the  opposite  direction  toward  the  Lake 
shore,  bearing  with  them  the  promise  of  prosperity  to  the 
new  road  and  country.  But  alas  for  the  great  turnpike ! 
Its  track  is  now  quiet,  and  all  but  deserted,  its  toll-gates 
have  been  thrown  down,  its  stone  bridges  were  never  built, 
its  lamps  were  never  lighted.  Traffic  now  rushes  swiftly 
over  the  iron  rails,  both  northward  and  southward,  and  the 
old  highways  have  become  mere  by-paths. 

In  1798,  however,  there  was  movement  enough  on  the 
turnpike  to  render  it  no  unworthy  approach  to  the  capital 
of  the  state.  Ere  long,  after  a  three  days'  journey,  the 
young  traveller  reached  Albany.  He  was  set  down  at  the 
door  of  St.  Peter's  Rectory.  Here  he  became  a  pupil  ci 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Ellison,  an  English  clergyman  of  high  scholar 
ship,  who  received  three  or  four  boys  into  his  family. 
Judge  Yfilliam  Jay,  Judge  Sutherland  of  Geneva,  Dr.  Van 
Rensselaer,  Mr.  James  Stevenson  of  Albany,  were  there 
with  him,  and  all  continued  warm  personal  friends  of  Mr. 
Cooper  through  life.  Mr.  Ellison  took  great  pleasure  in 
instructing  the  young  lad  from  Otsego.  Had  he  lived  his 
pupil's  career  might  have  been  different;  though  it  is 
scarcely  probable  that  one  so  very  active  in  body  as  well  as 
in  mind,  would  have  ever  been  satisfied  with  a  quiet  stu 
dent's  life.  In  1802  Mr.  Ellison  died.  His  pupil  soon  after 
entered  Yale  College,  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen.  At  the 
close  of  three  years  more  he  went  to  sea,  his  first  voyages 
being  made  before  the  mast  to  England  and  Spain.  In 
1805  he  entered  the  navy.  Some  years  later  his  marriage 
gave  him  an  interest  in  another  part  of  the  country,  but  in 
•ill  his  wanderings  of  early  life,  and  still  at  a  later  day,  tha 


XVI  INTRODUCTION. 

home  of  his  childhood,  the  highland  valley  where  his  father*! 
hearth-stone  lay,  was  always  very  dear  to  him. 

And  now  that  a  new  career  was  opening  before  him,  hia 
eyes  were  again  turned  towards  the  forest-clad  hills  at  the 
sources  of  the  Susquehanna.  Affection  for  the  ground, 
interest  in  the  people,  the  pleasing  character  of  the  scenery, 
all  united  to  point  out  the  banks  of  the  Otsego  as  a  fitting 
framework  for  his  new  pictures.  "  The  Pioneers  "  was  im 
mediately  commenced,  and  Natty  Bumppo,  with  his  silent 
footfall  stepped  from  beneath  the  shadows  of  the  old  pines, 
into  the  winter  sunlight. 

There  was  an  old  hunter  by  the  name  of  Shipman  living 
in  the  Otsego  Hills  during  the  first  years  of  the  little  col 
ony,  who  came  frequently  to  offer  his  game  at  Judge 
Cooper's  door,  and  whose  rude  equipments,  dogs,  and  rifle, 
had  much  attraction  for  the  lads  of  the  house.  The  game, 
however,  was  no  longer  very  abundant.  The  wild  creatures 
were  already  bounding  away  before  the  crack  of  the  rifle 
and  the  sound  of  the  axe.  Only  occasionally  a  bear  was 
seen  feasting  on  the  wild  fruits.  Now  and  then  the  howl  of 
the  wolf  came  across  the  icy  field  of  the  Otsego  in  winter. 
The  deer  lingered  last.  One  autumn  day,  the  future  author 
of  u  The  Pioneers,"  then  a  pupil  of  Master  Cory,  was  at 
play  in  his  father's  garden,  when  suddenly  he  was  surprised 
by  a  deer  leaping  over  the  fence  from  the  street,  almost 
brushing  his  face,  as  it  bounded  away  into  the  pine  wood  in 
the  rear  of  the  house,  dogs  and  men  in  hot  pursuit.  The 
incident  was  even  then  so  unusual  as  to  make  a  great  im 
pression  on  the  boy.  This  was  said  to  have  been  the  last' 
of  those  beautiful  creatures  driven  in  chase  through  the 
village.  The  spot  where  it  leaped  the  fence  is  now  occupied 
by  the  stone  building  of  the  Otsego  Bank.  One  of  the  vcrj 
last  deer  seen  near  the  village  was  observed  about  the  year 
1805,  drinking  in  the  early  morning  from  a  brook,  which 
has  been  called  Deerbrook  on  that  account,  about  halfway 
between  the  village  and  the  gates  of  "  Fenimore."  As  the 
game  gradually  took  flight,  Shipman  and  his  fellow-huntera 


INTRODUCTION.  XVil 

irerc  compelled  to  follow  toward  the  wilder  mountains 
southward.  A  vague  recollection  of  Sliipman  seems  to 
have  suggested  the  idea  of  the  principal  character  in  "  The 
Pioneers."  And  y^t  to  call'  this  man  the  original  of  Natty 
Bumppo  would  be  clearly  an  error.  The  assertion  is  true 
only  just  so  far  as  the  barest  resemblance  in  outline  may 
go  —  in  pursuit,  in  rude  accoutrement,  and  in  the  ground 
over  which  both  hunted.  Here  all  similarity  entirely  ceases. 
In  every  higher  sense  of  the  words,  the  character  of  Natty 
is  wholly  original ;  in  all  that  gives  worth,  and  dignity,  and 
poetry,  and  soul  to  the  conception,  it  comes  in  full  fresh 
ness  and  freedom  direct  from  the  mind  of  the  author. 

Other  figures  filling  the  canvas  of  "  The  Pioneers  "  have 
been  said  to  have  once  lived  on  the  same  ground.  But 
there  is  no  one  instance  in  which  this  assertion  is  entirely 
true.  Some  vague  resemblance  may  be  traced  here  and 
there,  but  in  most  instances  the  personages  are  wholly  ficti 
tious.  Classes  were  represented,  not  individuals.  Chin- 
gachgook,  old  Indian  John,  is  entirely  an  invention.  In 
dians  occasionally  came  in  family  groups,  or  small  parties, 
to  the  banks  of  the  Otsego,  but  it  is  not  known  that  any 
one  individual  lingered  long  enough  to  fill  the  position  as 
cribed  to  Chingachgook,  in  "  The  Pioneers."  The  number  of 
foreigners  who  collected  at  the  new  village  on  Lake  Otsego 
in  its  early  years,  was  quite  remarkable.  The  political 
convulsions  in  Europe  at  that  period  were,  no  doubt,  the 
cause  of  this  movement.  There  were  French,  Germans, 
Poles  and  colonists  from  Barbadoes,  Jamaica,  and  Mar 
tinique,  found  on  the  Lake  shores.  A  French  emigre  from 
Martinique  actually  kept  a  small  shop  in  the  Main  Street 
for  several  years.  His  singular  name  of  Le  Quoi,  was 
borrowed  by  the  author  for  the  fictitious  character  in  "  The 
Pioneers."  Quite  a  number  of  French  travellers  also  ap 
peared  from  time  to  time  at  this  remote  hamlet,  a  frontier 
post  of  civilization  at  that  date. 

In  connection  with  this  Introduction  to  u  The  Pioneers/'1 

a  partially  fictitious  sketch  of  a  state  of  things  now  pasied 
b 


INTRODUCTION. 

away  fbrever  in  the  same  region  of  country,  the  reader  may 
be  interested  by  a  few  passages  relating  to  the  actual  early 
settlement  of  Otsego  County.  These  passages  may  soon 
claim,  in  a  small  way,  something  of  the  dignity  of  history ; 
they  were  written  about  seventy  years  since,  by  Judge 
Cooper,  the  father  of  James  Fenirnore  Cooper,  and  the 
founder  of  the  little  colony  at  the  source  of  the  Snsquo- 
hanna.  About  the  year  1805,  Mr.  William  Sampson,  a 
prominent  lawyer  of  New  York,  an  Irish  exile,  and  com« 
panion  of  Emmet,  applied  to  Judge  Cooper  for  information 
relating  to  the  settlement  of  new  lands.  A  series  of  letters 
were  written  in  answer  to  Mr.  Sampson's  application. 
After  Judge  Cooper's  death,  in  1809,  these  letters  were  em 
bodied  in  a  pamphlet,  by  Mr.  Sampson,  and  published  in 
Dublin,  for  the  benefit  of  Irish  emigrants,  under  the  title  of 
"  A  Guide  to  the  Wilderness."  The  pamphlet  has  never 
been  .reprinted  in  this  country.  The  copy  once  owned  at 
Otsego  Hall  has  been  lost.  Mr.  Fenimore  Cooper  once 
accidentally  met  with  the  pamphlet  in  the  hands  of  an  emi 
grant,  on  board  ship,  in  crossing  the  ocean.  The  writer  of 
this  Introduction  is  indebted  for  the  copy  now  in  her  posses 
sion,  to  the  kindness  of  a  kinsman  of  her  father,  Mr.  W. 
Wager  Cooper  of  Cambridge.  This  historical  record  of 
facts  forms  a  commentary  on  the  fictitious  narrative  not 
without  interest  at  the  present  day. 

LETTER  FROM  JUDGE  COOPER  TO  WILLIAM  SAMPSON,  ESQ. 

"  Sin,  —  I  shall  cheerfully  answer  the  queries  you  have 
put  to  me.  The  manly  way  in  which  you  have  challenged 
me,  and  the  good  sense  you  have  shown  upon  a  subject  on 
evbieh  you  can  have  no  experience,  and  the  object  I  perceive 
you  to  have  at  heart,  that  of  procuring  information  in  a 
matter  interesting  to  your  countrymen,  do  you  honor,  and 
make  it  a  pleasure  for  me  to  satisfy  so  fair  a  curiosity.  .  .  . 

"  I  shall  first  make  the  general  supposition  that  either  a 
wealthy  individual,  or  else  a  company,  purchase  a  large  track 
of  land,  say  fifty  thousand  acres.  The  purchaser,  or  some 


INTRODUCTION.  xil 

one  strongly  interested  in  the  purchase,  should  go  upon  the 
spot,  and  give  public  notice  when  he  means  to  open  the 
Bales.  The  conditions  should  be  advertised,  and  notice 
given  that  every  person  desirous  of  buying  should  have  aa 
much,  or  as  little  land  as  he  chose,  on  a  credit  of  seven  or 
ten  years,  paying  annual  interest.  The  price  will  naturally 
7ary,  according  to  soil  and  situation. 

"  It  should  be  distinctly  understood  that  the  whole  tract 
IB  open  for  settlement,  without  any  reserve  on  the  part  of 
the  landlord,  as  nothing  is  more  discouraging  than  any  ap 
pearance  in  him  of  views  distinct  from  the  prosperity  of 
the  whole,  and  this  would  be  evident,  if  in  the  very  outset 
he  reserved  any  part,  in  contemplation  of  a  future  advance, 
at  the  expense  of  the  labor  of  the  original  settlers,  to  whose 
advantage  these  reserved  tracts  had  not  contributed.  The 
reason  is  plain  ;  the  first  difficulties  are  the  greatest,  and  it 
is  only  by  combination  and  cooperation,  that  they  can  be 
surmounted.  The  more  the  settlers  are  in  number,  the 
more  hands  can  be  brought  to  effect  those  works  which  can 
not  be  executed  by  a  few,  such  as  the  making  of  roads,  and 
bridges,  and  other  incidents  to  the  cultivation  of  the  wil 
derness,  which  are  impossible  to  individuals,  but  which  num 
bers  render  practicable  and  easy. 

"  Besides,  he  who  comes  .to  better  his  condition  by  em 
barking  in  such  an  enterprise,  would  find  it  no  relief  from 
his  present  poverty  to  be  doomed  to  a  life  of  savage  soli 
tude  ;  he  will  still  desire  the  society  of  his  species,  and  tho 
ordinary  comforts  of  life ;  he  will  look  for  some  religious 
institution,  some  school  for  his  children.  There  must  be  me 
chanics  to  build  houses,  and  erect  mills,  and  for  other  use 
ful  or  necessary  purposes.  Where  there  are  a  number  of 
gbttlers,  each  bearing  his  proportion  of  the  labor,  and  con 
tributing  to  the  expense,  these  things  arise  of  course,  but  it 
would  be  very  discouraging  to  a  few  scattered  settlers,  to 
reflect  that  they  were  toiling  under  all  the  hardships  and 
disadvantages  of  a  new  and  arduous  undertaking  while 
others,  who  had  contributed  nothing,  should  afterwards  come 


XX11  INTRODUCTION. 

his  habits  of  thought  become  sullen  and  cheerless,  and  h« 
is  unable  to  soar  above  the  idea  of  perpetual  poverty. 

"  Thus  by  the  adoption  of  a  rational  plan,  it  appears  that 
the  interest  of  all  parties  are  made  to  coincide.  The  settler 
sleeps  in  security,  from  the  certainty  of  his  possessions,  the 
landlord  is  safe  in  the  mortgage  he  holds,  and  the  state 
profits  by  the  success  of  each,  in  the  increase  of  its  wealth 
and  population. 

"A  moderate  price,  long  credit,  a  deed  in  fee,  and  a 
friendly  landlord  are  infallible  inducements  to  a  numerous 
•Ottlcmont ;  and  where  there  is  much  people  there  will  be 
trade ;  where  there  is  trade  there  will  be  money  ;  and  where 
there  is  money  the  landlord  will  succeed.  But  he  should 
be  ever  in  the  midst  of  the  settlers,  aiding  and  promoting 
every  beneficial  enterprise. 

f:  In  rural  phrase  we  may  compare  the  poor  settler  to 
the  creature  of  draft.  Unsustained,  overloaded,  and  op 
pressed,  he  yields  no  profit ;  well  treated,  in  good  heart,  and 
gently  driven,  his  labor  is  lighter,  and  his  profit  more.  It 
is  no  otherwise  with  man.  He  can  bear  so  much,  and  no 
more ;  if  forced  beyond  that,  his  spirits  will  finally  sink 
under  oppression ;  whereas  by  timely  aids,  and  encouraging 
words  from  a  landlord  who  has  his  confidence,  and  whom  he 
feels  to  be  his  friend,  he  will  perform  wonders  and  exceed 
his  own  hopes. 

"  You  have  desired  to  know  something  of  my  own  pro 
ceedings,  and  since  I  am  to  speak  of  myself,  I  can  nowhere 
better  introduce  the  subject  than  now,  in  proof  of  what  I 
have  asserted. 

"  I  began  with  the  disadvantage  of  a  small  capital,  and 
the  encumbrance  of  a  large  family,  and  yet  I  have  already 
settled  more  acres  than  any  man  in  America.  There  are 
forty  thousand  souls  now  holding,  directly  or  indirectly, 
under  me ;  and  I  trust  that  not  one  among  so  many,  can 
justl  7  impute  to  me  any  act  resembling  oppression.  I  am 
now  descending  into  the  vale  of  life,  and  I  must  acknowl- 
«dg  Aat  I  look  back  with  self-complacency  upon  what  I 


INTRODUCTION.  XXlii 

have  done,  and  am  proud  of  having  been  an  instrument  in 
reclaiming  such  large  and  fruitful  tracts  from  the  waste  of 
the  creation.  And  I  question  whether  that  sensation  is  not 
now  a  recompense  more  grateful  to  me  than  all  the  other 
profits  I  have  reaped.  Your  good  sense  and  knowledge  of 
the  world  will  excuse  this  seeming  boast ;  if  it  be  vain,  we 
must  all  have  our  vanities,  but  it  will  at  least  serve  to 
show  that  industry  has  its  reward,  and  age  its  pleasures, 
and  thus  become  an  encouragement  to  others  to  persevere 
and  prosper. 

"  In  1785, 1  visited  the  rough  and  hilly  country  of  Otscgo, 
where  there  existed  not  an  inhabitant,  nor  any  trace  of  a 
road  ;  I  was  alone,  three  hundred  miles  from  home,  without 
bread,  meat,  or  food  of  any  kind ;  fire  and  fishing-tackle 
were  my  only  means  of  subsistence.  I  caught  trout  in  the 
brook,  and  roasted  them  on  the  ashes.  My  horse  fed  on 
the  grass  that  grew  on  the  edge  of  the  waters.  I  laid  me 
down  to  sleep  in  my  watch-coat,  nothing  but  the  melancholy 
'•dlderness  about  me.  In  this  way  I  explored  the  country, 
formed  my  plans  of  future  settlements,  and  meditated  upon 
the  spot  where  a  place  of  trade,  or  a  future  village  should 
afterwards  be  established. 

"In  May,  1786,  I  opened  the  sales  of  40,000  acres,  which 
hi  sixteen  days  were  all  taken  up  by  the  poorer  order  of 
men.  I  soon  after  established  a  store,  and  went  to  live 
among  them,  and  continued  to  do  so  until  1790,  when  I 
brought  on  my  family.  For  the  ensuing  four  years  the 
scarcity  of  provisions  was  a  serious  calamity ;  the  country 
was  mountainous,  there  were  neither  roads  nor  bridges. 

"  But  the  greatest  discouragement  lay  in  the  extreme  pov 
erty  of  the  people,  none  of  whom  had  the  means  of  clear 
ing  more  than  a  small  spot,  in  the  middle  of  the  thick  and 
lofty  woods,  so  that  their  grain  grew  chiefly  in  the  shade ; 
their  maize  did  not  ripen  ;  their  wheat  was  blasted  ;  and 
the  little  they  did  gather  they  had  no  mill  to  grind,  within 
twenty  miles'  distance.  Not  one  in  twenty  had  a  horse,  and 
tbe  way  lay  through  rapid  streams,  across  swamps,  or  over 


£X1V  INTRODUCTION. 

bogs.  They  had  neither  provisions  to  take  with  them,  HOT 
money  to  purchase  them ;  nor  if  they  had  were  there  any 
to  be  found.  If  the  father  of  a  family  went  abroad  to  labor 
for  bread,  it  cost  him  three  times  its  value  before  he  could 
bring  it  home,  and  all  the  business  on  his  farm  stood  still 
until  his  return. 

"  I  resided  among  them,  and  saw  too  clearly  how  bad 
thuir  condition  was.  I  erected  a  store-house,  and  during 
each  winter  filled  it  with  large  quantities  of  grain  purchased 
in  distant  places.  I  procured  from  my  friend  Henry  Drinker 
a  credit  for  a  large  quantity  of  sugar-kettles,  he  also  lent 
me  some  potash  kettles,  which  we  transported  as  best  we 
could  sometimes  by  partial  roads  on  sleighs,  and  sometimes 
over  the  ice.  By  these  means  I  established  potash  works 
among  the  settlers,  and  made  them  debtors  for  their  bread, 
and  laboring  utensils.  I  also  gave  them  credit  for  their 
maple  sugar  and  potashes  at  a  price  that  would  bear  trans 
portation,  and  the  first  year  after  the  adoption  of  this  plan 
I  collected  in  one  mass  forty-three  hogsheads  of  sugar,  and 
three  hundred  barrels  of  pearl  ashes,  worth  about  nine 
thousand  dollars.  This  kept  the  people  together,  and  the 
country  soon  assumed  a  new  face. 

"  I  had  not  funds  of  my  own  sufficient  for  the  opening  of 
new  roads,  but  I  collected  the  people  at  convenient  seasons, 
and  by  joint  efforts  we  were  able  to  throw  bridges  over  the 
deep  streams,  and  to  make  in  the  cheapest  manner  such 
roads  as  suited  our  then  humble  purposes. 

"  In  the  winter  preceding  the  summer  of  1789,  grain  rose 
in  Albany  to  a  price  before  unknown.  The  demand  swept 
all  the  granaries  of  the  Mohawk  country.  The  number  of 
beginners  who  depended  upon  it  for  their  bread  greatly  ag 
gravated  the  evil,  and  a  famine  ensued,  which  will  never  be 
forgotten  by  those  who,  though  now  in  the  enjoyment  of 
ease  and  comfort,  were  then  afflicted  with  the  crudest  of 
Wants. 

"  In  the  month  of  April,  1 789,  I  arrived  among  them 
with  several  loads  of  provisions,  destined  for  my  own  use* 


INTRODUCTION.  XXV 

and  that  C  /  laborers  I  had  brought  with  me  f*r  certaiii  nec 
essary  operations ;  but  in  a  few  days  all  was  ^/ne,  and  there 
remained  not  one  pound  of  salt  meat,  nor  a  single  biscuit. 
Many  were  reduced  to  such  distress,  as  to  live  upon  the 
roots  of  wild  leeks  ;  some  more  fortunate  lived  upon  milk, 
while  others  supported  nature  by  drinking  a  syrup  made  of 
maple  sugar  and  water.  The  quantity  of  leeks  they  ate 
had  such  an  effect  upon  their  breath  that  they  could  b* 
smelled  at  many  paces  distance,  and  when  they  came  to 
gether  it  was  like  cattle  that  had  pastured  in  a  garlic  field. 
A  man  of  the  name  of  Betts,  mistaking  some  poisonous 
herb  for  a  leek,  ate  it,  and  died  in  consequence.  Judge  of 
my  feelings  at  this  epoch,  with  two  hundred  families  about 
me,  and  not  a  morsel  of  bread. 

"  A  singular  event  seemed  sent  by  a  good  Providence  to 
our  relief.  It  was  reported  to  me  that  unusual  shoals  of 
fish  were  seen  moving  in  the  clear  waters  of  the  Susque- 
hanna.  I  went,  and  was  surprised  to  find  they  were  her 
rings.  We  made  something  like  a  small  net,  by  the  inter 
twining  of  twigs,  and  by  this  rude  and  simple  contrivance 
we  were  able  to  take  them  by  thousands.  In  less  than  ten 
days  each  family  had  an  ample  supply,  with  plenty  of  salt. 
I  also  obtained  from  the  Legislature,  then  in  session,  seven 
teen  hundred  bushels  of  corn.  This  we  packed  on  horses' 
backs, '  and  on  our  arrival  made  a  distribution  among  the 
families,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  individuals  of 
which  each  was  composed. 

"  This  was  the  first  settlement  I  made,  and  the  first  at 
tempted  after  the  Revolution.  It  was,  of  course,  attended 
with  the  greatest  difficulties ;  nevertheless,  to  its  success 
many  others  owed  their  origin.  It  was  besides  the  rough 
est  land  in  all  the  state,  and  the  most  difficult  of  cultivation 
of  all  that  has  been  settled  ;  but  for  many  past  years  it  has 
produced  everything  necessary  to  the  support  arid  comfort 
of  man.  It  maintains  at  present  eight  thousand  souls,  with 
schools,  academies,  churches,  meeting-houses,  turnpike  roads, 
nnd  a  market-town.  It  annually  yi?lds  to  commerce  large 


XXVI  INTRODUCTION. 

drores  of  fine  oxen,  great  quantities  of  wheat  and  othei 
grain,  abundance  of  pork,  potash  in  barrels,  and  other  pro 
visions.  Merchants  with  large  capitals,  and  all  kinds  of 
useful  mechanics,  reside  upon  it;  the  waters  are  stocked 
with  fish,  the  air  is  salubrious,  and  the  country  thriving  and 
happy.  When  I  contemplate  all  this,  and  above  all,  when 
I  see  these  good  old  settlers  meet  together,  and  hear  them 
talk  of  past  hardships,  of  which  I  bore  my  share,  and  com 
pare  the  misery  they  then  endured  with  the  comforts  they 
now  enjoy,  my  emotions  border  upon  weakness  which  man 
hood  can  scarcely  avow. 

"  Some  rich  theorists  let  the  property  they  purchase  lie 
unoccupied  and  unproductive,  and  speculate  upon  a  full  in 
demnity  from  the  future  rise  in  property.  But  I  can  assert 
from  practical  experience,  that  it  is  better  for  a  poor  man  to 
pay  forty  shillings  an  acre  to  a  landlord  who  heads  the  set 
tlement,  and  draws  people  around  him  by  good  plans  for 
their  advancement  and  convenience,  than  to  receive  an  hun 
dred  acres  gratis  from  one  of  these  wealthy  theorists.  If 
fifty  thousand  acres  be  settled  so  that  there  is  but  one  man 
upon  a  thousand  acres,  there  can  be  no  one  convenience  of 
life  attainable  ;  neither  road,  school,  church,  nor  any  of 
those  advantages  without  which  man's  life  would  resembl* 
that  of  a  wild  beast. 

"  Of  this  I  had  full  proof  in  the  circumstances  of  the 
Burlington  Company.  They  were  rich,  and  purchased  a 
tract  of  sixty-nine  thousand  acres,  and  made  a  deed  of  gift 
of  one  hundred  acres  out  of  each  thousand  to  actual  set 
tlers;  and  this  they  were  bound  to  do,  in  compliance  with 
a  condition  of  the  King's  Patent.  They  provided  those  set 
tlers  with  many  articles  of  husbandry.  But  the  agent  very 
aoon  returned,  and  not  long  afterwards  the  settlers  followed, 
laying  they  could  not  support  themselves  so  far  in  the 
woods  in  that  scattered  situation. 

"  I  then  resided  in  Burlington,  and  when  I  undertook  to 
make  the  settlement  on  those  very  lands,  where  so  rich  a 
aompany  had  failed,  it  was  thought  a  romantic  undertaking 


INTRODUCTION.  XXVli 

for  a  man  unprovided  with  funds,  to  attempt  what  gratui 
tous  donations  had  not  been  able  to  achieve.  Nevertheless 
I  succeeded,  and  for  that  very  reason  that  I  made  no  par 
tial  gifts,  but  sold  the  whole,  at  a  moderate  price,  with  easy 
payments,  having  for  myself  a  handsome  profit,  and  people 
were  readily  induced  to  come  when  they  saw  a  number  of 
cooperators,  and  the  benefits  of  association. 

"  But  let  me  be  clearly  understood  in  this,  that  no  man 
who  does  not  possess  a  steady  mind,  a  sober  judgment,  for 
titude,  perseverance,  and  above  all,  common  sense,  can  ex 
pect  to  reap  the  reward  which  to  him  who  possesses  these 
qualifications  is  almost  certain 

"  In  all  these  countries  the  ground  is  throughout  the  win 
ter  covered  with  snow,  and  wherever  there  is  most  snow  in 
winter,  there  is  most  grass,  and  most  wheat  in  summer. 
The  snow  is  emphatically  and  truly  called  '  the  poor  man's 
manure.'  In  climates  where  there  is  alternate  rain  and  frost 
the  root  perishes.  Not  so  with  us.  It  is  best  to  sow  latCj  but 
not  too  late,  for  that  also  has  its  risks.  It  is  a  saying  among 
old  experienced  farmers  *  If  you  get  a  good  crop  from  late 
seed,  do  not  tell  it  to  your  sons.'  In  general  the  seed  ought 
to  be  put  in  the  ground  from  the  10th  to  the  20th  of 
September.  When  improvements  were  rare  in  Otsego 
County  the  frost  destroyed  our  fall  crops,  and  no  month 
passed  over  without  frost ;  but  since  the  surface  has  been 
laid  open  to  the  sun,  we  are  no  longer  in  fear  that  our  crops 
will  be  injured  by  the  autumnal  frosts,  and  for  the  last  two 
years  I  have  succeeded  in  peaches 

"  The  mutton  of  this  hilly  country  is  fat  and  juicy,  and 
very  delicate ;  the  wool  fair,  and  the  fleece  heavy.  I  have 
observed  generally  that  the  farther  we  go  north  in  the 
United  States,  the  better  we  find  both  beef  and  mutton ; 
and  the  farther  we  go  south,  the  smaller  and  sweeter  the 
pork,  We  cannot  make  hams  equal  to  those  of  Virginia 
and  Maryland.  Horses  grow  larger,  and  are  more  robust 
to  the  Southern  States.  The  air  with  us  being  probably  too 
lharp  for  their  growth,  the  animal  is  small,  but  hardy.  . 


INTRODUCTION. 

"  Our  taxes  are  so  light  that  a  rich  man  will  readily 
more  in  one  or  two  entertainments  than  the  amount  of  all 
his  taxes  ;  and  generally  his  voluntary  donations  for  benev 
olent  and  useful  institutions  are  ten  times  more  than  the 
law  requires  of  him.  Some  poor  men  probably  spend  as 
much  needlessly  in  taverns,  as  the  law  demands  of  them  for 
every  public  purpose.  The  fair  average  tax  for  a  well 
seated  farmer  on  a  hundred  acres,  is  about  the  produce  of 
one  sixth  of  an  acre  per  annum.  Large  tracts  of  forest 
lands  pay  about  twelve  cents  per  hundred  acres,  more  or 
less,  according  to  the  situation,  the  soil,  and  the  wants  of 
the  country 

"  You  will  probably  expect  from  me  some  estimate  of  the 
cost  of  clearing  new  lands.  If  a  man  is  careful  of  his 
ashes,  and  profits  by  the  advantage  which  newly  cleared 
lands  afford,  that  of  raising  his  first  crop  without  the  ex 
pense  of  either  ploughing  or  weeding,  he  is  rather  a  gainer 
by  the  wood  which  he  has  had  to  cut  down.  If  a  farmer 
hires  choppers  to  clear  his  land,  it  will  cost  him  about  seven 
dollars  and  a  half  per  acre.  For  this  sum  he  will  have  the 
trees  felled  arid  cut  into  ^gs  of  fourteen  feet  in  length,  and 
the  branches  thrown  together  in  heaps,  ready  for  burning. 
If  he  contracts  to  have  the  whole  fenced,  as  well  as  cleared, 
the  common  price  is  twenty-five  dollars  per  acre,  the  farmer 
reserving  the  ashes  for  himself.  Some  have  their  lands 
cleared  for  the  ashes,  and  the  first  crop.  I  have  myself 
given  the  first  three  crops  to  have  the  hind  well  inclosed, 
tuid  fitted  for  the  scythe.  But  in  every  stage  of  the  busi 
ness  one  dollar  in  the  hands  of  a  thoroughly  practical  man* 
will  reproduce  more  than  ten  under  the  management  of  a 
theorist.  Hence  the  European  would  do  well,  instead  of 
following  his  own  whims,  or  acting  upon  plans,  however 
prudent  in  his  own  country,  impracticable  here,  to  hire  a 
tapable  and  experienced  person  for  six  months,  and  be 
guided  by  him  in  the  mode  of  clearing,  planting,  sowing, 
and  gathering  his  crop.  It  is  to  be  observed,  also,  that  one 
American  will  clear  more  laud  in  a  (lav  than  three  Euro 


INTRODUCTION.  XXUL 

peans.  The  Irish  laborer  excels  with  the  spade  and  the 
flail,  but  is  not  a  match  for  the  American  at  other  country 
work.  In  the  woods,  as  elsewhere,  the  Scotch  succeed, 
being  frugal,  cautious  in  their  bargains,  living  within  their 
means,  and  always  punctual  in  their  engagements.  If  a 
Scotchman  kills  a  calf,  he  will  take  the  best  of  it  to  market, 
and  husband  up  the  price  received.  If  he  consumes  any 
part  of  the  meat,  it  will  be  the  coarsest  and  the  cheapest. 
On  the  contrary,  the  American  will  eat  the  best  part  him 
self,  and,  if  he  sells  any,  will  lay  out  the  money  upon  some- 
article  of  show 

"  It  is  difficult  to  point  out  any  general  rules  for  the 
direction  of  a  stranger  in  our  country,  as  to  the  choice  of 
lauds.  In  the  eastern  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  for  instance, 
the  chestnut  indicates  a  lean  soil,  whereas  in  the  western 
counties  of  New  York  that  wood  is  found  on  rich  and  gen 
erous  land,  suited  entirely  to  the  growth  of  wheat.  Where 
bass-wood,  butternut,  the  sugar-maple,  white  ash,  elm,  and 
tall  red  beech  make  the  prevailing  growth,  you  may  be  sure 
of  a  good  soil,  both  for  grain  and  grass.  If  hemlock  is 
interspersed,  the  land  is  not  the  worse.  The  black  walnut 
is  never  found  but  in  strong  and  durable  ground.  The 
large-topped,  short,  mossy  beech  denotes  ungenerous  land. 
The  poplar  in  our  climate  promises  good  land  for  wheat. 
The  pitch-pine  uniformly  bespeaks  a  thin  sandy  land. 

"  White  pine  is  found  on  all  sorts  of  ground ;  when  it 
grows  on  a  plain,  the  soil  is  apt  to  be  quick,  and  very 
kindly  ;  but  the  stump,  being  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter, 
will  take  more  time  to  decay  than  the  tree  took  to  grow, 
t  wing  to  its  resinous  nature.  Yet  such  tracts  will  be  among 
the  most  valuable  on  account  of  the  timber. 

"The  alder  bush  is  a  sign  of  a  good  soil  for  grass. 
The  many  kinds  of  oak  grow  on  as  many  kinds  of  soil. 
The  large  smooth-barked  black  oak  is  never  found  but  on 
&  good  soil ;  the  large  tall  white  oak  only  on  a  clay  bottom. 
The  hickory,  where  it  is  a  tall  tree,  is  a  favorable  symptom. 
Lands  which  produce  spontaneously  the  spruce  and  th« 
birch,  are  the  last  taken  up. 


KXX  INTRODUCTION. 

"  Limestone  is  the  truest  of  all  indications,  and  will 
never  deceive  the  man  who  is  in  quest  of  a  profitable  farm. 
Limestone  land  is  good,  in  all  situations.  The  graystono 
is  generally  a  good  token ;  but  wherever  it  is  round,  oval 
or  smooth  like  what  is  called  "  the  cobbler's  lap  stone,"  a'nd 
apparently  water-worn,  that  soil  will  be  sterile. 

"  To  an  attentive  and  practiced  observer  the  running 
waters  will  afford  instruction.  If  the  course  of  the  little 
brook  is  lively,  and  the  water  in  time  of  freshets,  or  the 
sediment  deposited  by  them  be  of  a  light  chocolate  color, 
loose  and  loamy,  it  proves  that  the  water  has  passed 
through  a  good  tract  of  country.  Whereas  if  the  water 
is  whitish,  and  there  be  many  large  round  stones,  that 
brook  must  have  had  its  course  through  a  poor  tract.  If 
it  appears  black,  it  heads  in  a  tamarac  or  spruce  swamp, 
but  may  pass  through  much  good  land,  which  can  always 
be  detected  by  the  little  banks  and  shoals,  formed  by  its 
deposits  here  and  there. 

"  When  a  great  tree  is  cut  down,  on  poor  clay  ground, 
and  happens  to  fall  upon  smaller  ones,  if  they  break  under 
its  weight,  it  is  a  proof  that  the  ground  is  hard,  and  poor : 
or,  if  instead  of  breaking  they  be  forced  up  by  the  roots, 
the  roots  will  be  found  large,  and  with  much  dirt  adhering 
to  them.  But  where  the  tree  turns  up  with  small  roots, 
the  ground  is  loose,  and  good.  Clays  will  hold  manure 
longer  than  any  other  soil,  but  the  clay  soil,  generally 
speaking,  fails  in  a  dry  season.  The  three  ingredients 
which,  when  combined,  form  the  most  productive  of  all 
soils,  are  limestone,  the  chocolate  loam,  and  dark  brown 
kiand.  Ground  so  composed  will  bear  rain,  and  drouth,  and 
is  certain  and  durable. 

"  There  is  a  kind  of  clay  which  is  common  in  the  Gene- 
fee  country.  It  is  of  a  loose  quality;  plants  take  good 
root  in  it,  and  grow  of  a  darker  green  than  in  ordinary 
§oil.  The  wheat  raised  in  those  lands  luis  less  bran,  and 
makes  whiter  flour  than  that  raised  in  the  mere  loam. 

"Wherever  land  produces  good  natural  grass  it  will  not 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXI 

be  easily  worn  out  in  tillage.  The  natural  grass  of  the 
country  is  the  white  clover,  which  shows  itself  spontane 
ously,  very  soon  after  the  sunbeams  have  been  let  m  on 
the  earth.  It  is  the  bed  of  pasture,  but  it  is  not  profitable 
to  mow  in  a  rough  bottom,  which  all  new  lands  rnusf  have. 
The  farmer  therefore  prefers  timothy  and  red  clover  which 
grows  as  high  as  three  feet;  then,  although  the  scythe 
should  leave  stubble  of  six  inches,  a  plentiful  crop  of  hay 
is  gathered  in.  After  the  land  has  been  ploughed  and 
leveled,  the  white  clover  can  be  mown,  and  it  makes  the 
best  of  hay 

"  Throughout  this  tract  p/  country,  the  wife  and  daugh 
ters  of  the  farmer  spin  and  weave  their  own  bed-clothes, 
and  their  common  wearing  apparel.  The  cloth  made  is 
about  three  quarters  of  a  yard  wide,  and  very  stout.  They 
comb  part  of  the  wool,  and  manufacture  a  worsted  cloth 
for  petticoats  and  gowns.  They  also  make  a  strong  dura 
ble  chequered  cloth  for  aprons.  When  the  fleeces  are 
shorn,  about  the  20th  of  May,  the  mistress  sets  apart  the 
best  for  stockings,  and  the  next  best  for  the  clothing  of  her 
husband  and  sons.  The  rougher  wool  is  made  into  blank 
ets.  About  three  pounds  is  the  average  yield  of  each  fleece 
when  washed ;  though  some  sheep  will  give  seven,  but 
k-arely  ns  much  as  ten  pounds 

"  No  article  has  a  more  rapid  sale  than  iron,  and  no  es 
tablishment  so  much  needed,  or  so  ardently  desired,  as  an 
iron  foundry.  Specimens  of  the  richest  ore  are  found  close 
to  populous  and  flourishing  settlements,  where  plentiful 
streams  and  falls  offer  sites  for  mills  of  every  kind.  Ex 
cellent  scythes  and  hoes  are  now  made,  however,  and  othei 
implements  of  husbandry.  Those  imported  fi'cm  England 
are  useless  here.  But  cross  cut  saws,  hand  saws,  planes  ol 
all  kinds,  chisels,  turning  tools,  and  trace-chains  we  cannot, 
as  yet,  make  so  good  or  so  cheap  as  those  brought  from 
Europe.  .... 

"I  close  my  correspondence  with  a  relation  of  some  al>- 
wrdities  fatal  to  success.  An  Irish  gentleman  of  fortune 


XXX11  INTRODUCTION. 

purchased  a  large  tract.  Full  of  ideal  superiority  and  of 
high-minded  enterprise,  he  cast  his  eyes  around  and  inter 
preted  all  he  saw  into  proofs  of  the  weakness  of  our  un 
cultivated  minds.  His  plans  were  immediately  formed, 
and  he  enjoyed  in  confident  expectation  the  pleasures  of 
self-aggrandizement,  the  glory  of  rescuing  a  people  from 
tlie  empire  of  ignorance,  and,  I  dare  say,  the  generous 
pride  of  doing  good.  He  sent  home  for  what  he  conceived 
would  be  instrumental  to  his  success;  he  got  a  supply  o* 
tackle,  blocks,  windlasses,  and  capstans  with  other  mechan 
ical  auxiliaries;  and  with  these  and  a  number  of  men,  he 
went  to  work.  By  the  force  of  men  and  machines  he 
pulled  down  the  trees  —  some  he  broke,  some  he  over 
turned  by  the  roots ;  but,  in  order  to  effect  this,  he  often 
spent  five  times  more  labor,  independent  of  his  mechanic 
power,  in  barely  chopping  through  the  spreading  roots, 
than  would  have  served  at  first  to  hew  down  the  tree. 
His  pride  forbade  him  to  recede,  and  he  cleared  a  few 
acres  at  an  enormous  expense.  I  foresee  that  you  will  ap 
plaud  him,  at  least  for  having  got  rid  of  those  stumps  and 
roots  which  encumber,  and  in  the  eye  of  a  European,  so 
much  disfigure  the  face  of  the  soil ;  but  I  can  assure  you 
that  the  deep  holes  made  by  his  violent  process,  and  the 
quantities  of  cold  and  barren  earth  which  the  roots  brought 
up  to  bury,  or  impoverish  the  layer  of  rich  mould  and 
ashes,  which  is  the  encouraging  reward  of  the  settler's  first 
toil,  were  greater  evils  than  all  the  stumps  and  roots  would 
have  been,  if  suffered  to  remain.  Besides  it  is  next  to  im 
possible  to  roll  the  monstrous  roots  together  to  be  burnt, 
damp  as  they  are,  and  covered  with  masses  of  earth.  It  is 
a  puzzle  to  be  quit  of  them,  after  laboring  to  bring  them 
abo  fe  giound,  more  indeed  than  it  was  before  to  dispose  ol 
the  whole  tree,  and  especially  in  a  country  where  the  poor* 
esfc  laborer  will,  in  the  shortest  day,  receive  half  a  dollar  for 
his  work,  over  and  above  his  provisions. 

"  At  length  this  gentleman  found  that  it  was  ono  thing  to 
dear  his  pleasure-grounds  in  Ireland,  and  another  to  clear 


INTRODUCTION.  1XXH1 

the  wilderness  in  America,  and  he  finished  by  admitting 
that  in  matters  of  husbandry,  experience  was  a  better 
guide  than  either  fancy  or  philosophy,  and  that  none 
were  more  capable  than  those  whom  practice  had  made 
proficients. 

"  Another  Irish  gentleman  bought  a  larger  tract,  anc? 
brought  with  him  a  number  of  his  own  tenants  — his  patent 
kitchen,  his  huntsmen,  his  hounds,  his  fishing  apparatus, 
together  with  workmen  and  all  that  he  supposed  fitting  pro 
vision  for  founding  a  large  establishment.  He  did  not  for 
get  hampers  of  good  claret,  so  needful  to  give  wisdom  to  a 
young  beginner.  Perhaps,  sir,  this  latter  item  is  not  that 
for  which  you  will  be  inclined  to  censure  him  too  severely. 
During  three  summers  he  toiled  in  this  manner,  and  never 
raised  ten  bushels  of  grain  nor  a  hundred- weight  of  hay : 
but  he  expended  in  the  country  about  twelve  hundred 
pounds  of  Irish  money,  and  then  bade  adieu  to  his  farm,  and 
to  the  "Western  Hemisphere. 

"  An  Englishman  purchased  a  farm  of  me ;  and  scoffing 
at  our  Yankee  mode  of  clearing  away  the  trees,  he  also  sent 
for  ropes,  tackle  falls,  and  pullies,  and  moreover  for  leathern 
girdles,  with  buckles  and  straps,  and  also  furnished  his  men 
with  polished  chisels  and  mallets.  Either  himself,  or  his 
men  would  climb  to  the  top  of  a  high  tree  and  there  fix  a 
purchase  :•  then  another  man  below,  girded  with  a  belt  that 
had  straps  and  stirrups  attached  to  it,  was  hoisted  up  by  a 
rope,  taking  with  him  a  basket  of  tools  to  a  height  of  about 
a  hundred  feet.  There  he  began  operations  by  sawing  off 
the  top  of  a  tree.  This  done  he  was  lowered  from  limb  to 
limb,  sawing  away,  branch  after  branch.  When  the  branches 
encumbered  each  other,  so  that  the  saw  would  not  work,  he 
took  out  his  chisel  and  mallet,  stood  up  in  his  stirrups,  and 
chiseled  away  at  the  branch.  So  the  owner  proceeded  for 
one  whol3  summer,  and  while  the  heat  was  on  him,  it  would 
\iave  been  impertinent,  if  not  dangerous,  to  advise  him.  He 
Had  left  a  country  distinguished  for  agricultural  improve 
ments,  and  could  look  only  with  disdain  on  our  infant  art* 


XXXIV  INTRODUCTION. 

Our  counsels  he  considered  as  the  lessons  of  a  school-boy  to 
his  preceptor.  He  did  not  break  his  neck  —  but  he  destroyed 
his  fortune,  and  finally  bade  farewell  to  the  woods,  leaving  no 
representatives  but  thousands  of  bare  poles,  resembling  the 
masts  of  dismantled  shipping  in  a  harbor. 

"  Another  English  gentleman  would  not  condescend  to 
cut  down  a  tree  except  with  an  English  axe,  nor  plough 
but  with  a  heavy  English  plough.  He  would  not  sow  seed 
until  every  stump  was  grubbed  up  ;  and  it  seemed  his  chief 
maxim  to  do  nothing  as  it  would  be  done  by  Americans. 
Of  this  he  was  so  punctilious  that  he  shocked  his  wheat  with 
the  head  downward,  because,  said  he,  the  ground  would 
take  the  raiikness  out  of  the  grain.  His  crop  stood  in  shock 
in  wet  weather,  during  ten  or  twelve  days,  and  in  that  in 
verted  position  began  to  grow,  more  to  the  amusement  of 
his  neighbors  than  to  the  owner's  profit.  But  he  remains 
to  this  day  obstinate,  and  poor. 

"  While  making  free  with  the  errors  of  others,  let  me  not 
be  supposed  to  glorify  myself.  I  have  in  like  manner  com 
mitted  follies  which  I.  have  not  forgotten.  On  first  going  to 
the  woods,  I  was  as  bigoted  to  the  methods  I  had  observed 
in  Pennsylvania,  as  these  Europeans  were  to  theirs.  I  would 
not  sow  until  the  saplings  had  been  first  grubbed  up,  and  I 
ploughed  for  the  first  crop,  not  considering  that  the  immense 
quantity  of  timber  to  be  burnt  consumed  all  the  small  roots, 
and  of  itself  prepared  the  ground  for  seed.  I  found  fault, 
too,  with  their  fences,  I  cavilled  at  the  construction  of  their 
wagons  and  their  gear,  I  condemned  their  tools  and  farm 
ing  implements,  and  thus  talked  much  and  to  very  little 
purpose.  They  continued  their  own  practices,  and  I  found 
after  some  time  that  I  had  nothing  better  to  do  than  to 
ecnform,  and  am  every  day  more  convinced  that  wherever 
.nen's  minds  are  uncontrolled,  they  will  in  a  short  time 
discover  what  is  most  for  their  interest.  In  countries  vshere 
actions  are  free,  what  is  most  in  use  will  be  found  pretty 
nearly  tho  best,  in  what  concerns  husbandry  and  its  appli 
tnceo. 


INTRODUCTION.  XXXT 

"  The  clergy  are  supported  without  any  establishment  by 
law,  and  they  live  with  decency ;  and  the  people  show  a 
great  willingness  to  support  religious  institutions,  generally 
attending  places  of  public  worship,  which  convinces  me  that 
neither  the  interference  of  the  laws,  nor  the  excitements  of 
persecution,  or  of  controversy  are  required  to  stimulate 
them  to  that  which  seems  more  a  principle  of  their  nature 
than  a  matter  of  regulation  or  convention. 

"  I  have  often  witnessed  the  beneficial  effects  of  this  relig 
ious  disposition,  and  of  the  institutions  growing  out  of  it. 
The  first  settlement  of  Cooperstown  was  made  by  the  poorer 
class  of  men ;  they  labored  hard  all  the  week,  but  on  Sun 
day  they  either  went  hunting,  or  fishing,  or  else  collected 
in  taverns,  and  loitered  away  the  day,  careless  of  their  dress 
or  actions.  The  sons  caught  the  manners  of  the  fathers, 
and  for  the  first  ten  years,  or  before  any  religious  establish 
ment  was  formed,  the  want  of  it  was  manifest.  We  then 
turned  our  attention  to  remedy  the  evil,  and  our  pains  were 
rewarded ;  for,  since  that  time,  new  and  better  morals  and 
manners  have  prevailed,  and  it  has  now  become  a  matter  of 
honest  pride,  and  as  it  were  a  fashion,  to  be  orderly  and  cor 
rect.  If  any  still  follow  the  ancient  practice  of  fishing  and 
hunting  on  Sunday,  they  no  longer  go  openly  and  publicly, 
but  privately  and  unseen.  The  people  now  appear  in  decent 
clothing ;  they  are  taught  to  love  each  other,  and  the  pastor 
mixing  among  them,  promotes  by  his  influence  and  persua 
sion  a  happy  spirit  of  union  and  good  will.  When  neigh 
bors  quarrel  he  interposes,  soothes  their  angry  passions, 
gently  chides  the  froward,  points  out  the  mischiefs  that 
accompany  contention,  and  exhorts  them  by  the  love  of  a 
religion  whose  spirit  is  peace.  The  respect  they  bear  his 
person  gives  weight  to  his  reasons ;  they  soon  feel  in  the 
quiet  and  satisfied  state  of  their  minds  the  benefit  of  liw 
counsels ;  they  listen  to  him  not  as  to  a  master,  but  as  a 
friend,  and  pay  him  a  willing  obedience,  beyond  what  the 
authority  of  the  magistrates,  or  the  power  of  the  government 
ever  could  enforce.  .  .  . 


2  THE  PIONEERS 

* 

toms  of  the  valleys,  to  the  most  rugged  and  intricate  passei 
of  the  hills.  Academies,  and  minor  edifices  of  learning- 
meet  the  eye  of  the  stranger  at  every  few  miles,  as  he  winds 
his  way  through  this  uneven  territory ;  and  places  for  the 
worship  of  God  abound  with  that  frequency  which  charac 
terizes  a  moral  and  reflecting  people,  and  with  that  variety 
of  exterior  and  canonical  government  which  flows  from  un 
fettered  liberty  of  conscience.  In  short,  the  whole  district 
is  hourly  exhibiting  how  much  can  be  done,  in  even  a  rug 
ged  country,  and  with  a  severe  climate,  under  the  dominion 
of  mild  laws,  and  where  every  man  feels  a  direct  interest  in 
the  prosperity  of  a  commonwealth,  of  which  he  knows  him 
self  to  form  a  part.  The  expedients  of  the  pioneers  who 
first  broke  ground  in  the  settlement  of  this  country  are  suc 
ceeded  by  the  permanent  improvements  of  the  yeoman,  who 
intends  to  leave  his  remains  to  moulder  under  the  sod  which 
he  tills,  or,  perhaps,  of  the  son,  who,  born  in  the  land,  piously 
wishes  to  linger  around  the  grave  of  his  father.  Only  forty 
years 1  have  passed  since  this  territory  was  a  wilderness. 

Very  soon,  after  the  establishment  of  the  independence  of 
the  States,  by  the  peace  of  1783,  the  enterprise  of  their 
citizens  was  directed  to  a  development  of  the  natural  ad  van 
tages  of  their  widely  extended  dominions.  Before  the  war 
of  the  Revolution  the  inhabited  parts  of  the  colony  of  New 
York  were  limited  to  less  than  a  tenth  of  its  possessions. 
A  narrow  belt  of  country,  extending  for  a  short  distance  on 
either  side  of  the  Hudson,  with  a  similar  occupation  of  fifty 
miles  on  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk,  together  with  the  islands 
Df  Nassau  and  Staten,  and  a  few  insulated  settlements  on 
ehosen  land  along  the  margins  of  streams,  composed  the 
country,  which  was  then  inhabited  by  less  than  two  hundred 
thousand  souls.  Within  the  short  period  we  have  mentioned, 
the  population  has  spread  itself  over  five  degrees  of  latitude 
and  seven  of  longitude,  and  has  swelled  to  a  million  and  a 
half  of  inhabitants,2  who  are  maintained  in  abundance,  and 
can  look  forward  to  ages  before  the  evil  day  must  arrive, 
when  their  possessions  shall  become  unequal  to  their  wants, 

1  The  book  was  written  in  1823. 

*  The  population  of  New  York  ia  now  (1831)  quite  2,000,000. 


THE   PIONEERS.  8 

Our  4^ile_bcgins  in  1793,  about  seven  years  after  the  com 
mencement  of  one  of  the  earliest  of  those  settlements,  which 
have  conduced  to  effect  that  magical  change  in  the  power 
and  condition  of  the  State,  to  which  we  have  alluded. 

It  was  near  the  setting  of  the  sun,  on  a  clear,  cold  day  in 
December,  when  a  sleigh  was  moving  slowly  up  one  of  the 
mountains,  in  the  district  we  have  described.  The  day  had 
been  fine  for  the  season,  and  but  two  or  three  large  clouds, 
whose  color  seemed  brightened  by  the  light  reflected  from 
the  mass  of  snow  that  covered  the  earth,  floated  in  a  sky  of 
the  purest  blue.  The  road  wound  along  the  brow  of  a  prec 
ipice,  and  on  one  side  was  upheld  by  a  foundation  of  logs, 
piled  one  upon  the  other,  while  a  narrow  excavation  in  the 
mountain,  in  the  opposite  direction,  had  made  a. passage  of 
sufficient  width  for  the  ordinary  travelling  of  that  day.  But 
logs,  excavation,  and  everything  that  did  not  reach  several 
feet  above  the  earth,  lay  alike  buried  beneath  the  snow.  A 
single  track,  barely  wide  enough  to  receive  the  sleigh,1  de 
noted  the  route  of  the  highway,  and  this  was  sunk  nearly 
two  feet  below  the  surrounding  surface.  In  the  vale,  which 
lay  at  a  distance  of  several  hundred  feet  lower,  there  was 
what  in  the  language  of  the  country  was  called  a  clearing, 
and  all  the  usual  improvements  of  a  new  settlement ;  these 
even  extended  up  the  hill  to  the  point  where  the  road  turned 
short  and  ran  across  the  level  land,  which  lay  on  the  summit 
of  the  mountain  ;  but  the  summit  itself  remained  in  forest. 
There  was  a  glittering  in  the  atmosphere,  as  if  it  were  filled 
with  innumerable  shining  particles  ;  and  the  noble  bay  horsea 
that  drew  the  sleigh  were  covered,  in  many  parts,  with  a 
coat  of  hoar-frost.  The  vapor  from  their  nostrils  was  seen 

1  Sleigh  is  the  word  used  in  every  part  of  the  United  States  to  denote  a  trai 
i  eau.  It  is  of  local  use  in  the  west  of  England,  whence  it  is  most  probabl  j  de- 
rived  by  the  Americans.  The  latter  draw  a  distinction  between  a  sled,  or  sledge 
»nd  a  sleigh ;  the  sleigh  being  shod  with  metal.  Sleighs  are  also  subdivided 
into  two-horse  and  one-horse  sleighs.  Of  the  latter,  there  are  the  cutter,  with 
thills  so  arranged  as  to  permit  the  horse  to  travel  in  the  side  track;  the  "  puiig," 
or  "  tow-pung,"  which  is  driven  with  a  pole;  and  the  "jumper,"  a  rude  con 
Btruction  used  for  temporary  purposes,  in  the  new  countries. 

Many  of  the  American  sleighs  are  elegant,  though  the  use  of  this  mode  of 
confeyance  is  much  lessened  with  the  melioration  of  the  climate,  consequent  01 
UK  clearing  of  the  forests. 


4  THE  PIONEERS. 

to  issue  like  smoke ;  and  every  object  in  tho  view,  as  well  as 
every  arrangement  of  the.  travellers,  denoted  the  depth  of  a 
winter  in  the  mountains.  The  harness,  which  was  of  a  deep, 
dull  black,  differing  from  the  glossy  varnishing  of  the  present 
day,  was  ornamented  with  enormous  plates  and  buckles  of 
brass,  that  shone  like  gold  in  those'  transient  beams  of  the 
sun,  which  found  their  way  obliquely  through  the  tops  of 
the  trees.  Huge  saddles,  studded  with  nails,  and  fitted  with 
cloth  that  served  as  blankets  to  the  shoulders  of  the  cattle, 
supported  four  high,  square-topped  turrets,  through  which 
the  stout  reins  led  from  the  mouths  of  the  horses  to  the 
hands  of  the  driver,  who  was  a  negro,  of  apparently  twenty 
years  of  age.  His  face,  which  nature  had  colored  with  a 
glistening  black,  was  now  mottled  with  the  cold,  and  hia 
large  shining  eyes  filled  with  tears  ;  a  tribute  to  its  power, 
that  the  keen  frosts  of  those  regions  always  extracted  from 
one  of  his  African  origin.  Still  there  was  a  smiling  expres 
sion  of  good  humor  in  his  happy  countenance,  that  waa 
created  by  the  thoughts  of  home,  and  a  Christmas  fireside, 
with  its  Christmas  frolics.  The  sleigh  was  one  of  thoso 
large,  comfortable,  old-fashioned  conveyances,  which  would 
admit  a  whole  family  within  its  bosom,  but  which  now  con 
tained  only  two  passengers  besides  the  driver.  The  coloi 
of  its  outside  was  a  modest  green,  and  that  of  its  inside  a 
fiery  red.  The  latter  was  intended  to  convey  the  idea  of 
heat  in  that  cold  climate.  Large  buffalo  skins,  trimmed 
around  the  edges  with  red  cloth,  cut  into  festoons,  covered 
the  back  of  the  sleigh,  and  were  spread  over  its  bottom,  and 
drawn  up  around  the  feet  of  the  travellers  —  one  of  whom 
was  a  man  of  middle  age,  and  the  other  a  female,  just  enter-n 
ing  upon  womanhood.  The  former  was  of  a  large  stature ; 
but  the  precautions  he  had  taken  to  guard  against  the  cold 
left  but  little  of  his  person  exposed  to  view.  A  great-coat, 
that  was  abundantly  ornamented  by  a  profusion  of  furs,  eii" 
\eloped  the  whole  of  his  figure,  excepting  the  head,  which 
was  covered  with  a  cap  of  marten  skins,  lined  with  morocco 
the  sides  of  which  were  made  to  fall,  if  necessary,  and  wero 
now  drawn  close  over  the  ears,  and  fastened  beneath  his  chin 
with  a  black  ribbon.  The  top  of  the  cap  was  surmounted 


THE  PIONEERS.  0 

with  the  tail  of  the  animal  whose  skin  had  furnished  the  rest 
of  the  materials,  which  fell  back,  not  ungracefully,  a  few 
inches  behind  the  head.  From  beneath  this  mask  were  to 
be  seen  part  of  a  fine,  manly  face,  and  particularly  a  pair  of 
expressive,  large  blue  eyes,  that  promised  extraordinary  in 
tellect,  covert  humor,  and  great  benevolence.  The  form  of 
his  companion  was  literally  hid  beneath  the  garments  the 
wore.  There  were  furs  and  silks  peeping  from  under  a 
large  camlet  cloak,  with  a  thick  flannel  lining,  that,  by  its 
cut  and  size,  was  evidently  intended  for  a  masculine  wearer. 
A  huge  hood  of  black  silk,  that  was  quilted  with  down,  con 
cealed  the  whole  of  her  head,  except  at  a  small  opening  in 
front  for  breath,  through  which  occasionally  sparkled  a  pair 
of  animated,  jet-black  eyes. 

Both  the  father  and  daughter  (for  such  was  the  connec 
tion  between  the  two  travellers)  were  too  much  occupied 
with  their  reflections  to  break  a  stillness,  that  received  little 
or  no  interruption  from  the  easy  gliding  of  the  sleigh,  by 
the  sound  of  their  voices.  The  former  was  thinking  of  the 
wife  that  had  held  this  their  only  child  to  her  bosom,  when, 
four  years  before,  she  had  reluctantly  consented  to  relin 
quish  the  society  of  her  daughter,  in  order  that  the  latter 
might  enjoy  the  advantages  of  an  education,  which  the  city 
of  New  York  could  only  offer  at  that  period.  A  few 
months  after  wards  death  had  deprived  him  of  the  remaining 
companion  of  his  solitude  ;  but  still  he  had  enough  of  real 
regard  for  his  child,  not  to  bring  her  into  the  comparative 
wilderness  in  which  he  dwelt,  until  the  full  period  had  ex 
pired,  to  which  he  had  limited  her  juvenile  labors.  The 
reflections  of  the  daughter  were  less  melancholy,  and  min 
gled  with  a  pleased  astonishment  at  the  novel  scenery  sh-3 
met  at  every  turn  in  the  road. 

The  mountain  on  which  they  were  journeying  was  cov 
ered  with  pines,  that  rose  without  a  branch  some  seventy 
or  eighty  feet,  and  which  frequently  doubled  that  height,  by 
the  addition  of  the  tops.  Through  the  innumerable  vistas 
tuat  opened  beneath  the  lofty  trees,  the  eye  could  penetrate, 
dutil  it  was  met  by  a  distant  inequality  in  the  ground,  or 
was  stopped  by  a  view  of  tbo  summit  of  the  mountain, 


6  TUE  PIONEERS. 


which  lay  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley  to  which  tliej 
were  hastening.  The  dark  trunks  of  the  trees  rose  from 
the  pure  white  of  the  snow,  in  regularly  formed  shafts,  until, 
at  a  great  height,  their  branches  shot  forth  horizontal  limbs, 
that  were  covered  with  the  meagre  foliage  of  an  evergreen, 
affording  a  melancholy  contrast  to  the  torpor  of  nature  bt> 
low.  To  the  travellers,  there  seemed  to  be  no  wind ;  but 
these  pines  waved  majestically  at  their  topmost  boughs, 
sending  forth  a  dull,  plaintive  sound,  that  was  quite  in  con 
sonance  with  the  rest  of  the  melancholy  scene. 

The  sleigh  had  glided  for  some  distance  along  the  even 
surface,  and  the  gaze  of  the  female  was  bent  in  inquisitive, 
and,  perhaps,  timid  glances,  into  the  recesses  of  the  forest, 
when  a  loud  and  continued  howling  was  heard,  pealing 
under  the  long  arches  of  the  woods,  like  the  cry  of  a  nu- 
meroui  pack  of  hounds.  The  instant  the  sound  reached 
the  ears  of  the  gentleman,  he  cried  aloud  to  the  black, — 

"  Hold  up,  Aggy ;  there  is  old  Hector ;  I  should  know 
his  bay  among  ten  thousand !  The  Leather-Stocking  has 
put  his  hounds  into  the  hills,  this  clear  day,  and  they  have 
started  their  game.  There  is  a  deer-track  a  few  rods 
ahead  ;  and  now,  Bess,  if  thou  canst  muster  courage  enough 
to  stand  fire,  I  will  give  thee  a  saddle  for  thy  Christmas 
dinner." 

The  black  drew  up,  with  a  cheerful  grin  upon  his  chilled 
features,  and  oegau  thrashing  his  arms  together,  in  order  to 
restore  the  circulation  to  his  fingers,  while  the  speaker 
stood  erect,  and,  throwing  aside  his  outer  covering,  stepped 
torn  the  sleigh  upon  a  bank  of  snow,  which  sustained  his 
weight  without  yielding. 

In  a  few  moments  the  speaker  succeeded  in  extricating  a 
double-barreled  fowling-piece  from  among  a  multitude  of 
trunks  and  bandboxes.  After  throwing  aside  the  thick 
mittens  which  had  incased  his  hands,  that  now  appeared  in 
a  pair  of  leather  gloves  tipped  with  fur,  he  examined  his 
•priming,  and  was  about  to  move  forward,  when  the  light 
bounding  noise  of  an  animal  plunging  through  the  woodi 
was  heard,  and  a  fine  buck  darted  into  the  path,  a  short 
distance  ahead  of  him.  Tho  appearance  of  the  animal  waa 


fEE  PIONEERS  7 

Hidden,  and  his  flight  inconceivably  rapid ;  but  the  traveller 
appeared  to  bo  too  keen  a  sportsman  to  be  disconcerted  by 
either.  As  it  came  first  into  view  he  raised  the  fowling- 
piece  to  his  shoulder,  and,  with  a  practiced  eye  and  steady 
hand,  drew  a  trigger.  The  deer  dashed  forward  undaunted, 
and  apparently  unhurt.  Without  lowering  his  piece,  the 
traveller  turned  its  muzzle  towards  his  victim,  and  fired 
again.  Neither  discharge,  however,  seemed  to  have  taken 
effect. 

The  whole  scene  had  passed  with  a  rapidity  that  coiv 
fused  the  female,  who  was  unconsciously  rejoicing  in  the 
escape  of  the  buck,  as  he  rather  darted  like  a  meteor,  than 
ran  across  the  road,  when  a  sharp,  quick  sound  struck  her 
ear,  quite  different  from  the  full,  round  reports  of  her  father's 
gun,  but  still  sufficiently  distinct  to  be  known  as  the  con 
cussion  produced  by  fire-arms.  At  the  same  instant  that 

e  heard  this  unexpected  report,  the  buck  sprang  from  the 
snow  to  a  great  height  in  the  air,  and  directly  a  second  dis 
charge,  similar  in  sound  to  the  first,  followed,  when  the  ani 
mal  came  to  the  earth,  falling  headlong,  and  rolling  over  on 
the  crust  with  its  own  velocity.  A  loud  shout  was  given 
by  the  unseen  marksman,  and  a  couple  of  men  instantly 
appeared  from  behind  the  trunks  of  two  of  the  pines,  where 
they  had  evidently  placed  themselves  in  expectation  of  the 
passage  of  the  deer. 

"  Ha !  Natty,  had  I  known  you  were  in  ambush,  I  should 
not  have  fired,"  cried  the  traveller,  moving  towards  the  spot 
where  the  deer  lay,  near  to  which  he  was  followed  by  the 
delighted  black,  with  his  sleigh ;  "  but  the  sound  of  old 
Hector  was  too  exhilarating  to  be  quiet ;  though  I  hardly 
think  I  struck  him  either." 

"  No,  no,  Judge,"  returned  the  hunter,  with  an  inward 
chuckle,  and  with  that  look  of  exultation  that  indicates  a 
consciousness  of  superior  skill ;  "  you  burnt  your  powder 
only  to  warm  vour  nose  this  cold  evening.  Did  ye  think 
to  stop  a  full  grown  buck,  with  Hector  and  the  slat  open 
uptn  him  within  sound,  with  that  pop-gun  in  your  hand  ? 
There's  plenty  of  pheasants  among  the  swamp;  and  the 
•now-birds  ire  flying  round  your  own  door,  where  you  may 


THE  PIONEERS. 

feed  them  with  crumbs,  and  shoot   them  at  pleasure,  anj 
day ;  but  if  you're  for  a  buck,  or  a  little  boar's  meat,  JudgeJ 
you'll  have  to  take  the  long  rifle,  with  a  greased  wadd'ng, 
or  you'll  waste  more  powder  than  you'll  fill  stomachs,  I'm 
thinking." 

As  the  speaker  concluded,  he  drew  his  bare  hand  across 
the  bottom  of  his  nose,  and  again  opened  his  enormous 
mouth  with  a  kind  of  inward  laugh. 

"  The  gun  scatters  well,  Natty,  and  it  has  killed  a  deer  j 
before  now,"  said  the  traveller,  smiling  good-humoredly. 
*  One  barrel  was  charged  with  buck-shot ;  but  the  other 
was  loaded  for  birds  only.  Here  are  two  hurts;  one 
through  the  neck,  and  the  other  directly  through  the  heart. 
It  is  by  no  means  certain,  Natty,  but  I  gave  him  one  of  the 
two.'* 

"  Let  who  will  kill  him,"  said  the  hunter,  rather  surlily,- 
"I  suppose  the  creature  is  to  be  eaten."     So  saying,  he^ 
drew  a  large  knife  from  a  leathern  sheath,  which  was  stuck 
through  his  girdle  or  sash,  and  cut  the  throat  of  the  animal. . 
"  If  there  are  two  balls  through  the  deer,  I  would  ask  if 
there  weren't  two  rifles  fired  ;  besides,  who  ever  saw  such  a  i 
ragged  hole  from  a  smooth-bore,  as  this  through  the  neck  ? 
And  you  will  own  yourself,  Judge,  that  the  buck  fell  at  the 
last  shot,  which  was  sent  from  a  truer  and  a  younger  hand, 
than  your'u   or  mine  either ;  but  for  my  pa,rt,  although  I 
am  a  poor  man,  I  can  live  without  the  venison,  but  I  don't 
love  to  give  up  my  lawful  dues  in  a  free  country.     Though, 
for  the  matter  of  that,  might    often  makes  right  here,  as 
well  as  in  the  old  country,  for  what  I  can  see." 

An  air  of  sullen  dissatisfaction  pervaded  the  manner  of « 
the  hunter  during  the  whole  of  this  speech ;  yet  he  thought 
it  prudent  to  utter  the  close  of  the  sentence  in  such  an  un 
dertone,  as  to  leave  nothing  audible  but  the  grumbling 
sounds  of  his  voice. 

"<Nay,  Natty,"  rejoined  the  traveller,  with  undisturbed 
good  humor,  "  it  is  for  the  honor  that  I  contend.  A  few 
iollars  will  pay  for  the  venison ;  but  what  will  requite  !»G 
for  the  lost  honor  of  a  buck's  tail  in  my  cap?  Think, 
Natty,  how  I  should  triumph  over  that  quizzing  dog,  Dick 


THE  FIONEKKS.  9 

Jones,  who  has  failed  seven  times  already  this  season,  and 
has  only  brought  in  one  woodchuck  and  a  few  gray  squir 
rels."  ' 

"  Ah !  the  game  is  becoming  hard  to  find,  indeed,  Judge, 
with  your  clearings  and  betterments,"  said  the  old  hunter, 
with  a  kind  of  compelled  resignation.  "  The  time  has  been, 
when  I  have  shot  thirteen  deer,  without  counting  the  fa'ans, 
standing  in  the  door  of  my  own  hut !  and  for  bear's  meat, 
if  one  wanted  a  ham  or  so,  he  had  only  to  watch  a-uights, 
and  he  could  shoot  one  by  moonlight,  through  the  cracks  of 
the  logs ;  no  fear  of  his  over-sleeping  himself  neither,  for 
the  howling  of  the  wolves  was  sartin  to  keep  his  eyes 
open.  There's  old  Hector,"  patting  with  affection  a  tall 
hound,  of  black  and  yellow  spots,  with  white  belly  and  legs, 
that  just  then  cuine  in  on  the  scent,  accompanied  by  the  slut 
he  had  mentioned ;  "  see  where  the  wolves  bit  his  throat, 
the  night  I  druv  them  from  the  venison  that  was  smoking 
oil  the  chimbly  top ;  that  dog  is  more  to  be  trusted  than 
many  a  Christian  man  ^  for  he  never  forgets  a  friend,  and 
loves  the  hand  that  gives  him  bread." 

There  was  a  peculiarity  in  the  manner  of  the  hunter  that 
attracted  the  notice  of  the  young  female,  who  had  been  a 
close  and  interested  observer  of  his  appearance  and  equip 
ments,  from  the  moment  he  came  into  view.  He  was  tall, 
and  so  meagre  as  to  make  him  seem  above  even  the  -six  feet 
that  he  actually  stood  in  his  stockings.  On  his  head,  which 
was  thinly  covered  with  lank,  sandy  hair,  he  .wore  a  cap 
made  of  foxskin,  resembling  in  shape  the  one  we  have 
already  described,  although  much  inferior  in  finish  and  or 
naments.  His  face  was  skinny,  and  thin  almost  to  emacia 
tion ;  but  yet  it  bore  no  signs  of  disease;  on  the  contrary, 
it  had  every  indication  of  the  most  robust  and  enduring 
health.  The  cold  and  the  exposure  had,  together,  given  it 
u  coloi  of  uniform  red.  His  gray  eyes  were  glancing  under 
a  pair  of  shaggy  brows,  that  overhung  them  in  long  hairs 
if  gray  mingled  with  their  natural  hue;  his  scraggy  neck 
was  bare,  and  burnt  to  the  same  tint  with  his  face ;  though 
a  small  part  of  a  shirt  collar,  made  of  the  country  check, 
was  to  bo  seen  above  the  over-dress  ho  wore.  A  kind  of 


10  THE   PIONEERS. 

coat,  made  of  dressed  deerskin,  with  the  tair  on,  was  belted 
close  to  his  lank  body,  by  a  girdle  of  colored  worsted.  On 
his  feet  were  deerskin  moccasins,  ornamented  with  porcu 
pines'  quills,  after  the  manner  of  the  Indians,  and  his  limbs 
were  guarded  with  long  leggings  of  the  same  material  as  the 
moccasins,  which,  gartering  over  the  knees  of  his  tarnished 
buckskin  breeches,  had  obtained  for  him,  among  the  settlers, 
the  nickname  of  Li, \fher-Stockiiig.  Over  his  left  shoulder 
was  slung  a  belt  of  deerskin,  from  which  depended  an  enor 
mous  ox-horn,  so  thinly  scraped  as  to  discover  the  powder 
it  contained.  The  larger  end  was  fitted  ingeniously  and 
securely  with  a  wooden  bottom,  and  the  other  was  stopped 
tight  by  a  little  plug.  A  leathern  pouch  hung  before  him, 
from  which,  as  he  concluded  his  last  speech,  he  took  a  small 
measure,  and,  filling  it  accurately  with  powder,  he  com 
menced  reloading  the  rifle,  which,  as  its  butt  rested  on  the 
snow  before  him,  reached  nearly  to  the  top  of  his  foxskin 
cap. 

The  traveller  had  been  closely  examining  the  wounds 
during  these  movements,  and  now,  without  heeding  the  ill 
humor  of  the  hunter's  manner,  he  exclaimed, — 

"  I  would  fain  establish  a  right,  Natty,  to  the  honor  of 
this  death ;  and  surely  if  the  hit  in  the  neck  be  mine,  it  is 
enough ;  for  the  shot  in  the  heart  was  unnecessary  —  what 
we  call  an  act  of  supererogation,  Leather-Stocking." 

"You  may  call  it  by  what  Tarned  name  you  please*, 
Judge,"  sai4  the  hunter,  throwing  his  rifle  across  his  left 
arm,  and  knocking  up  a  brass  lid  in  the  breech,  from  which 
he  took  a  small  piece  of  greased  leather,  and  wrapping  a 
ball  in  it,  forced  them  down  by  main  strength  on  the  powder, 
where  he  continued  to  pound  them  while  speaking.  "  It's 
far  easier  to  call  names  than  to  shoot  a  buck  on  the  spring ; 
but  the  cretur  came  by  his  end  from  a  younger  hand  than 
cither  your'n  or  mine,  as  I  said  before." 

"  What  say  you,  my  friend,"  cried  the  traveller,  turning 
pleasantly  to  Natty's  companion;   "shall  we  toss  up  thi* 
dollar  for  the  honor,  and  you  keep  the  silver  if  you  lose 
irhat  say  you,  friend?" 

"  That  I  killed  the  deer,"  answered  the  young  man  with 


It  -s  far  easier  to  call  names  than  to  shoot  a  buck  on  the  spring."     Page  10. 


Y\?       OP   THR      °v^'\ 


THE  PIONEEES.  11 

a  little  haughtiness,  as  he  leaned  on  another  rifle,  similar  to 
that  of  Natty. 

"  Here  are  two  to  one,  indeed,"  replied  the  Judge,  with  a 
smile;  "I  am  outvoted  —  over-ruled,  as  we  say  on  the 
bench.  There  is  Aggy,  he  can't  vote,  being  a  slave ;  and 
Bess  is  a  minor ;  so  I  must  even  make  the  best  of  it.  But 
you'll  sell  me  the  venison ;  and  the  deuce  is  in  it,  but  I 
[make  a  good  story  about  its  death." 

"  The  meat  is  none  of  mine  to  sell,"  said  Leather-Stock 
ing,  adopting  a  little  of  his  companion's  hauteur ;  "  for  my 
part  I  have  known  animals  travel  days  with  shots  in  the 
neck,  ard  I'm  none  of  them  who'll  rob  a  man  of  his  rightful 
dues!" 

"  You  are  tenacious  of  your  rights,  this  cold  evening, 
Natty,"  returned  the  Judge,  with  unconquerable  good  nature ; 
"  but  what  say  you,  young  man ;  will  three  dollars  pay  you 
for  the  buck?" 

"  First  let  us  determine  the  question  of  right  to  the  satis 
faction  of  us  both,"  said  the  youth,  firmly  but  respectfully, 
and  with  a  pronunciation  and  language  vastly  superior  to 
his  appearance ;  u  with  how  many  shot  did  you  load  your 
gun?" 

"  With  five,  sir,"  said  the  Judge,  a  little  struck  with  the 
other's  manner ;  "  are  they  not  enough  to  slay  a  buck  like 
this?" 

"One  would  do  it;  but,"  moving  to  the  tree  from  behind 
which  he  had  appeared,  "  you  know,  sir,  you  fired  in  this 
direction;  here  are  four  of  the. bullets  in  the  tree." 

The  Judge  examined  the  fresh  marks  in  the  bark  of  tho 
pine,  and  shaking  his  head,  said,  with  a  laugh,  — 

"  You  are  making  out  the  case  against  yourself,  my 
young  advocate  ;  where  is  the  fifth  ?  " 

"Here  ! "  said  the  youth,  throwing  aside  the  rough  over- 
coat  that  he  wore,  and  exhibiting  a  hole  in  his  under  gar 
ment,  through  which  large  drops  of  blood  were  oozing. 

"  Good  God ! "  exclaimed  the  Judge  with  horror ;  "  hare 
I  been  trifling  here  about  an  empty  distinction,  and  a  fellow- 
creature  suffering  from  my  hands  without  a  murmur?  But 
hasten  —  quick  —  get  into  my  sleigh  —  it  is  but  a  mile  to 


12  THE  PIONEERS. 

the  village,  where  surgical  aid  can  be  obtained;  all  shall  be 
done  at  my  expense,  and  thou  shalt  live  with  me  until  thj 
wound  is  healed,  aye,  and  forever  afterwards." 

"I  thank  you  for  your  good  intention,  but  I  must  decline 
your  offer.  I  have  a  friend  who  would  be  uneasy  were  he 
to  hear  that  I  ain  hurt  and  away  from  him.  The  injury  is 
but  slight,  and  the  bullet  has  missed  the  bones ;  but  I  be 
lieve,  sir,  you  will  now  admit  my  title  to  the  venison." 

"  Admit  it !  "  repeated  the  agitated  Judge  :  "  I  here  give 
thee  a  right  to  shoot  deer,  or  bears,  or  anything  thou 
pleasest  in  my  woods,  forever.  Leather-Stocking  is  the 
only  other  man  that  I  have  granted  the  same  privilege  to ; 
and  the  time  is  coming  when  it  will  be  of  value.  But  I 
buy  your  deer ;  here,  this  bill  will  pay  thee,  both  for  thy 
shot  and  my  own." 

The  old  hunter  gathered  his  tall  person  up  into  an  air  of 
[•ride,  during  this  dialogue,  but  he  waited  until  the  other 
had  done  speaking. 

"  There's  them  living  who  say  that  Nathaniel  Bumppo's 
right  to  shoot  on  these  hills  is  of  older  date  than  Marina- 
duke  Temple's  right  to  forbid  him,"  he  said.  "  But  if 
there's  a  law  about  it  at  all  —  though  who  ever  heard  of  a 
law  that  a  man  shouldn't  kill  deer  where  he  pleased!  —  but 
if  there  is  a  law  at  all,  it  should  be  to  keep  people  from  the 
use  of  smooth-bores.  A  body  never  knows  where  his  lead 
will  fly,  when  he  pulls  the  trigger  of  one  of  them  uncertain 
fire-arms." 

Without  attending  to  the  soliloquy  of  Natty,  the  youth; 
oowed  his  head  silently  to  the  offer  of  the  bank-note,  and 
replied :  — 

"  Excuse  me ;  I  have  need  of  the  venison." 

"  But  this  will  buy  you  many  deer,"  said  the  Judge  , 
"  take  it,  I  entreat  you,"  and  lowering  his  voice  to  a  whis 
per,  he  added,  "  it  is  for  a  hundred  dollars." 

For  an  instant  only,  the  youth  seemed  to  hesitate,  and 
then,  blushing  even  through  the  high  color  that  the  cold 
had  given  to  his  cheeks,  as  if  with  inward  shame  at  his  own 
weakness,  he  again  declined  the  offer. 

During  this  scene  the  female  arose,  and,  regardless  of  the 


THE  PIONEERS.  18 

cold  air,  she  threw  back  the  hood  which  concealed  her  fea« 
tures,  and  now  spoke,  with  great  earnestness. 

"  Surely,  surely,  young  man  —  sir  —  you  would  not  pain 
my  father  so  much,  as.  to  have  him  think  that  he  leaves  a 
fellow-creature  in  this  wilderness,  whom  his  o\\n  hand  has 
injured.  I  entreat  you  will  go  with  us,  and  receive  medical 
aid." 

Whether  his  wound  became  more  painful,  or  there  was 
aomethmg  irresistible  in  the  voice  and  manner  of  the  fair 
pleader  for  her  father's  feelings,  we  know  not ;  but  the  dis 
tance  of  the  young  man's  manner  was  sensibly  softened  by 
this  appeal,  and  he  stood  in  apparent  doubt,  as  if  reluctant 
to  comply  with,  and  yet  unwilling  to  refuse  her  request. 
The  Judge,  for  such,  being  his  office,  must  in  future  be  his 
title,  watched,  with  no  little  interest,  the  display  of  this 
singular  contention  in  the  feelings  of  the  youth ;  and 
advancing,  kindly  took  his  hand,  and  as  he  pulled  him 
gently  towards  the  sleigh,  urged  him  to  enter  it. 

"  There  is  no  human  aid  nearer  than  Templeton,"  he 
said,  "  and  the  hut  of  Natty  is  full  three  miles  from  this ; 
come,  come,  my  young  friend,  go  with  us,  and  let  the  new 
doctor  look  to  this  shoulder  of  thine.  Here  is  Natty  will 
take  the  tidings  of  thy  welfare  to  thy  friend ;  and  shouldst 
thou  require  it,  thou  shalt  return  home  in  the  morning." 

The  young  man  succeeded  in  extricating  his  hand  from 
the  warm  grasp  of  the  Judge,  but  he  continued  to  gaze  on 
the  face  of  the  female,  who,  regardless  of  the  cold,  was  still 
standing  with  her  fine  features  exposed,  which  expressed 
feelings  that  eloquently  seconded  the  request  of  her  father. 
Leather-Stocking  stood,  in  the  mean  time,  leaning  upon  his 
long  rifle,  with  his  head  turned  a  little  to  one  side,  as  if 
engaged  in  sagacious  musing;  when,  having  apparently 
satisfied  his  doubts,  by  revolving  the  subject  in  his  mind, 
he  broke  silence. 

"  It  may  be  best  to  go,  lad,  after  all ;  for  if  the  shot  hangs 
under  the  skin,  my  hand  is  getting  too  old  to  be  cutting 
Into  human  flesh,  as  I  once  used  to.  Though  some  thirty 
years  agone,  in  the  old  war,  when  I  was  out  under  Sir  Wil 
liam,  I  travelled  seventy  miles  alone  in  the  howling  wilder- 


14  THE   PIONEERS. 

neas,  with  a  rifle  bullet  in  my  thigh,  and  then  cut  it  out 
$  with  my  own  jack-knife.  Old  Indian  John  knows  the  tima 
well.  I  met  him  with  a  party  of  the  Dela wares,  on  the 
trail  of  the  Iroquois,  who  had  been  down  and  taken  five 
scalps  on  the  Schoharie.  But  I  made  a  mark  on  the  red 
skin  that  I'll  warrant  he  carried  to  his  grave  !  I  took  him 
on  his  posteerum,  saving  the  lady's  presence,  as  he  got  up 
from  the  nmbushment,  and  rattled  three  buck-shot  into  his 
naked  hide,  so  close,  that  you  might  have  laid  a  broad  joe 
upon  them  all "  —  here  Natty  stretched  out  his  long  neck, 
and  straightened  his  body,  as  he  opened  his  mouth,  which 
exposed  a  single  tusk  of  yellow  bone,  while  his  eyes,  his 
face,  even  his  whole  frame  seemed  to  laugh,  -although  no 
sound  \vns  emitted,  except  a  kind  of  thick  hissing,  as  he  in 
haled  his  breath  in  quavers.  "  I  had  lost  my  bullet-mould 
in  crossing  the  Oneida  outlet,  and  had  to  make  shift  with 
the  buck-shot ;  but  the  rifle  was  true,  and  didn't  scatter 
like  your  two-legged  thing  there,  Judge,  which  don't  do.  I 
find,  to  hunt  in  company  with." 

Natty 's  apology  to  the  delicacy  of  the  young  lady  was 
unnecessary,  for,  while  he  was  speaking,  she  was  too  much 
employed  in  helping  her  father  to  remove  certain  articles 
of  baggage  to  hear  him.  Unable  to  resist  the  kind  urgency 
of  the  travellers  any  longer,  the  youth,  though  still  with  an 
unaccountable  reluctance,  suffered  himself  to  be  persuaded 
to  enter  the  sleigh.  The  black,  with  the  aid  of  his  master, 
threw  the  buck  across  the  baggage,  and  entering  the  vehicle  ..^ 
themselves,  the  Judge  invited  the  hunter  to  do  so  likewise.^; 

u  No,  no,"  said  the  old  man,  shaking  his  head;  "I  have  ' 
work  tor  do  at  home  this  Christmas  Eve  ;  drive  on  with  the 
boy,  and  let  your  doctor  look  to  the  shoulder ;  though 
if  he  will  only  cut  out  the  shot,  I  have  yarbs  that  will  heal 
the  wound  quicker  than  all  his  foreign  'intments."  He 
turned,  and  was  about  to  move  off,  when,  suddenly  recollect 
ing  himsc.lf,  he  again  faced  the  party,  and  added,  "  Jf  you 
see  anything  of  Indian  John,  about  the  foot  of  the  lake,  you 
had  better  take  him  with  you,  and  let  him  lend  the  doctor 
a  hand  ;  for  old  as  he  is,  he  is  curious  at  cuts  and  bruises, 
and  it's  likelier  than  not  he'll  be  in  with  brooms  to  sweep 
youj  ChrtBluiab  n  ariiis>." 


THE   HONKERS.  15 

*  Stop,  stop,"  cried  the  youth,  catchii_g  the  arm  of  the 
black  as  he  prepared  to  urge  his  horses  forward  ;  "  Natty. 
you  need  say  nothing  of  the  shot,  nor  of  where  I  am  going ; 
remember,  Natty,  as  you  love  me." 

"  Trust  old  Leather-Stocking,"  returned  the  hunter,  sig 
nificantly  ;  "  he  hasn't  lived  fifty  years  in  the  wilderness, 
and  not  larnt  from  the  savages  how  to  hold  his  tongue  ; 
trust  to  me,  lad ;  and  remember  old  Indian  John." 

"  And,  Natty,"  said  the  youth  eagerly,  still  holding  the 
black  by  the  arm,  "  I  will  just  get  the  shot  extracted,  and 
bring  you  up  to-night,  a  quarter  of  the  buck,  for  the  Christ" 
mas  dinner." 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  hunter,  who  held  up  his  finger 
with  an  expressive  gesture  for  silence.  He  then  moved 
softly  along  the  margin  of  the  road,  keeping  his  eyes  stead 
fastly  fixed  on  the  branches  of  a  pine.  When  he  had 
obtained  such  a  position  as  he  wished,  he  stopped,  and  cock 
ing  his  rifle,  threw  one  leg  far  behind  him,  and  stretching 
his  left  arm  to  its  utmost  extent  along  the  barrel  of  his 
piece,  he  began  slowly  to  raise  its  muzzle  in  a  line  with  the 
straight  trunk  of  the  tree.  The  eyes  of  the  group  in  the 
sleigh  naturally  preceded  the  movement  of  the  rifle,  and 
they  soon  discovered  the  object  of  Natty 's  aim.  On  a  small 
dead  branch  of  the  pine,  which,  at  the  distance  of  seventy 
feet  from  the  ground,  shot  out  horizontally,  immediately 
beneath  the  living  members  of  the  tree,  sat  a  bird,  that  in 
the  vulgar  language  of  the  country  was  indiscriminately 
called  a  pheasant  or  a  partridge.  In  size,  it  was  but  little 
smaller  than  a  common  barn-yard  fowl.  The  baying  of  the 
do^s,  and  the  conversation  that  had  passed  near  the  root  of 

*^     O    / 

the  tree  on  which  it  was  perched,  had  alarmed  the  bird, 
which  was  now  drawn  up  near  the  body  of  the  pine,  with  a 
head  and  neck  so  erect,  as  to  form  nearly  a  straight  line 
with  its  legs.  As  soon  as  the  rifle  bore  on  the  victim, 
Xatty  drew  his  trigger,  and  the  partridge  fell  from  its 
height  with  a  force  that  buried  it  in  the  snow. 

"  Lie  down,  you  old  villain,"  exclaimed  Leather-Stock 
ing,  shaking  his  ramrod  at  Hector  as  he  bounded  towards 
the  foot  of  the  tree,  '•  lie  down,  I  say."  The  dog  obeyed. 


16  THE  PIONEERS. 

and  Natty  proceeded  with  great  rapidity,  though  with  the 
nicest  accuracy,  to  reload  his  piece.  When  this  was  ended, 
he  took  up  his  game,  and  showing  it  to  the  party  without-a 
head,  he  cried,  "  Here  is  a  tit-bit  for  an  old  man's  Christmas  ; 
never  mind  the  venison,  boy,  and  remember  Indian  John ; 
his  yarbs  are  better  than  all  the  foreign  'intinents.  Here 
Judge,"  holding  up  the  bird  again,  "  do  you  think  a  smooth 
bore  would  pick  game  off  their  roost,  and  not  rufUe  a 
feather?"  The  old  man  gave  another  of  his  remarkable 
laughs,  which  partook  so  largely  of  exultation,  mirth,  and 
irony,  and  shaking  his  head,  he  turned,  with  his  rifle  at  a 
trail,  and  moved  into  the  forest  with  steps  that  were  between 
a  walk  and  a  trot.  At  each  movement  he  made,  his  body 
lowered  several  inches,  his  knees  yielding  with  an  in 
clination  inwards  ;  but  as  the  sleigh  turned  at  a  bend  in  the 
road,  the  youth  cast  his  eyes  in  quest  of  his  old  companion, 
and  he  saw  that  he  was  already  nearly  concealed  by  the 
trunks  of  the  trees,  while  his  dogs  were  following  quietly 
in  his  footsteps,  occasionally  scenting  the  deer  track,  that 
they  seemed  to  know  instinctively  was  now  of  no  further 
use  to  them.  Another  jerk  was  given  to  the  sleigh,  and 
Leather-Stocking  was  hid  from  view. 


THE  PIONEERS.  17 


CHAPTER   II. 

All  places  that  the  eye  of  Heaven  visits 
Are  to  a  wise  man  ports  and  happy  havens. 
Think  not  the  king  did  banish  thee  : 
But  thou  the  king. 

RICHARD  II. 

AN  ancestor  of  Marmaduke  Temple  hai,  about  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty  years  before  the  co  rumen  ,ement  of  our  tale, 
come  to  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania,  a  friend  and  co-relig 
ionist  of  its  great  patron.  Old  Marmaduke,  for  this  formida 
ble  prenomen  was  a  kind  of  appellative  to  the  race,  brought 
with  him,  to  that  asylum  of  the  persecuted,  an  abundance 
of  the  good  things  of  this  life.  He  became  the  master  of 
many  thousands  of  acres  of  uninhabited  territory,  and  the 
supporter  of  many  a  score  of  dependents.  He  lived  greatly 
respected  for  his  piety,  and  not  a  little  distinguished  as  a  sec 
tary  :  was  intrusted  by  his  associates  with  many  important 
political  stations ;  and  died  just  in  time  to  escape  the  knowl 
edge  of  his  own  poverty.  It  was  his  lot  to  share  the  fortune 
of  most  of  those  who  brought  wealth  with  them  into  the  new 
settlements  of  the  middle  colonies. 

The  consequence  of  an  emigrant  into  these  provinces  was 
generally  to  be  ascertained  by  the  number  of  his  white  ser 
vants  or  dependents,  and  the  nature  of  the  public  situations 
vhat  he  held.  Taking  this  rule  as  a  guide,  the  ancestor  of 
our  Judge  must  have  been  a  man  of  no  little  note. 

It  is,  however,  a  subject  of  curious  inquiry  at  the  present 
day,  to  look  into  the  brief  records  of  that  early  period,  and 
observe  how  regular,  and  with  few  exceptions  how  inevitable, 
were  the  gradations,  on  the  one  hand,  of  the  masters  to 
poverty,  and  on  the  other,  of  their  servants  to  wealth.  Ac 
customed  to  ease,  and  unequal  to  the  struggles  incident  to 
an  infant  society,  the  affluent  emigrant  was  barely  enabled 


18  THE  PIONEERS. 

to  maintain  his  own  rank,  by  the  weight  of  his  personal 
superiority  and  acquirements  ;  but  the  moment  that  his  head 
was  laid  in  the  grave,  his  indolent  and  comparatively  unedu 
cated  offspring  were  compelled  to  yield  precedency  to  the 
more  active  energies  of  a  class  whose  exertions  had  been 
stimulated  by  necessity.  This  is  a  very  common  course  of 
things,  even  in  the  present  state  of  the  Union ;  but  it  was 
peculiarly  the  fortunes  of  the  two  extremes  of  society,  in 
Ihe  peaceful  and  unenterprising  colonies  of  Pennsylvania 
and  New  Jersey. 

The  posterity  of  Marmaduke  did  not  escape  the  common 
lot  of  those  who  depend  rather  on  their  hereditary  posses 
sions  than  on  their  own  powers  ;  and  in  the  third  generation 
they  had  descended  to  a  point,  below  which,  in  this  happy 
country,  it  is  barely  possible  for  honesty,  intellect,  and  sobri 
ety  to  fall.  The  same  pride  of  family  that  had,  by  its  self- 
satisfied  indolence,  conduced  to  aid  their  fall,  now  became  a 
principle  to  stimulate  them  to  endeavor  to  rise  again.  The 
feeling,  from  being  morbid,  was  changed  to  a  healthful  and 
active  desire  to  emulate  the  character,  the  condition,  and, 
perad venture,  the  wealth  of  their  ancestors  also.  It  was 
the  father  of  our  new  acquaintance,  the  Judge,  who  first 
began  to  reascend  in  the  scale  of  society ;  and  in  this  un 
dertaking  he  was  not  a  little  assisted  by  a  marriage,  which 
aided  in  furnishing  the  means  of  educating  his  only  son  in 
a  rather  better  manner  than  the  low  state  of  the  common 
schools  in  Pennsylvania  could  promise  ;  or  than  had  been 
the  practice  in  the  family,  for  the  two  or  three  preceding  \ 
generations. 

At  the  school  where  the  reviving  prosperity  of  his  father 
was  enabled  to  maintain  him,  young  Marinaduke  formed  an 
intimacy  with  a  youth  whose  years  were  about  equal  to  his 
own.  This  was  a  fortunate  connection  for  our  Judge,  and 
paved  the  way  to  most  of  his  future  elevation  in  life. 

There  was  not  only  great  wealth,  but  high  court  interest, 
among  the  connections  of  Kd\vard  JEffioghain.  They  were 
one  of  the  few  families  then  resident  in  the  colonies,  who 
thought  it  a  degradation  to  its  members  to  descend  to  the 
pursuits  of  commerce  ;  and  who  never  emerged  from  the  pri- 


THE  PIONEERS.  19 

racy  of  domestic  life,  unless  to  preside  in  tlie  councils  of  the 
colony,  or  to  bear  arms  in  her  defense.  The  latter  had,  from 
youth,  been  the  only  employment  of  Edward's  father.  Mili 
tary  rank  under  the  crown  of  Great  Britain  was  attained  with 
much  longer  probation,  and  by  much  more  toilsome  services, 
sixty  years  ago,  than  at  the  present  time.  Years  were  passed 
without  murmuring,  in  the  subordinate  grades  of  the  service ; 
and  those  soldiers  who  were  stationed  in  the  colonies  felt, 
when  they  obtained  the  command  of  a  company,  that  they 
were  entitled  to  receive  the  greatest  deference  from  the 
peaceful  occupants  of  the  soil.  Any  one  of  our  readers 
who  has  occasion  to  cross  the  Niagara,  may  easily  observe 
not  only  the  self-importance,  but  the  real  estimation  enjoyed 
by  the  humblest  representative  of  the  crown,  even  in  that 
polar  region  of  royal  sunshine.  Such,  and  at  no  very  dis 
tant  period,  was  the  respect  paid  to  the  military  in  these 
States,  where  now,  happily,  no  symbol  of  war  is  ever  seen, 
unless  at  the  free  and  fearless  voice  of  their  people.  When, 
therefore,  the  father  of  Marmaduke's  friend,  after  forty 
years'  service,  retired  with  the  rank  of  Major,  maintaining 
in  his  domestic  establishment  a  comparative  splendor,  he  be 
came  a  man  of  the  first  consideration  in  his  native  colony, 
which  was  that  of  New  York.  He  had  served  with  fidelity 
and  courage,  and  having  been,  according  to  the  custom  of 
the  provinces,  intrusted  with  commands  much  superior  to 
those  to  which  he  was  entitled  by  rank,  with  reputation  also. 
When  Major  Emngharn  yielded  to  the  claims  of  age,  he  re 
tired  -with  dignity,  refusing  his  half-pay  or  any  other  com 
pensation  for  services  that  he  felt  he  could  no  longer  per 
form. 

The  ministry  proffered  various  civil  offices,  which  yielded 
not  only  honor  but  profit ;  but  he  declined  them  all,  with 
the  chivalrous  independence  and  loyalty  that  had  marked 
his  character  through  life.  The  veteran  soon  caused  this 
act  of  patriotic  disinterestedness  to  be  followed  by  another 
of  private  munificence,  that,  however  little  it  accorded  with 
prudence,  was  in  perfect  conformity  with  the  simple  integ 
rity  of  his  own  views. 

The  friend  of  Marmaduke  was  his  only  child  ;  and  to  tliii 


20  THE  PIONEERS. 

ion,  on  his  marriage  with  a  lady  to  whom  the  father  wa« 
particularly  partial,  the  Major  gave  a  complete  conveyance 
of  his  whole  estate,  consisting  of  moneys  in  the  funds,  a 
town  and  country  residence,  sundry  valuable  farms  in  the 
old  parts  of  the  colony,  and  large  tracts  of  wild  land  in  the 
new;  in  this  manner  throwing  himself  upon  the  filial  piety 
of  his  child  for  his  own  future  maintenance.  Major  Eiftng- 
ham,  in  declining  the  liberal  offers  of  the  British  ministry, 
had  subjected  himself  to  the  suspicion  of  having  attained 
his  dotage,  by  all  those  who  throng  the  avenues  to  court 
patronage,  even  in  the  remotest  corners  of  that  vast  empire ; 
but,  when  he  thus  voluntarily  stripped  himself  of  his  great 
personal  wealth,  the  remainder  of  the  community  seemed 
instinctively  to  adopt  the  conclusion  also,  that  he  had  reached 
a  second  childhood.  This  may  explain  the  fact  of  his  im 
portance  rapidly  declining ;  and,  if  privacy  was  his  object. 
the  veteran  had  soon  a  free  indulgence  of  his  wishes.  What 
ever  views  the  world  might  entertain  of  this  act  of  the 
Major,  to  himself  and  to  his  child  it  seemed  no  more  than 
a  natural  gift  by  a  father,  of  those  immunities  which  he 
could  no  longer  enjoy  or  improve,  to  a  son,  who  was  formed, 
both  by  nature  and  education,  to  do  both.  The  younger 
Effingham  did  not  object  to  the  amount  of  the  donation ; 
for  he  felt  that  while  his  parent  reserved  a  moral  control 
over  his  actions,  he  was  relieving  himself  from  a  fatiguing 
burden :  such,  indeed,  was  the  confidence  existing  between 
them,  that  to  neither  did  it  seem  anything  more  than  remov 
ing  money  from  one  pocket  to  another. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  young  man,  on  coining  into 
possession  of  his  wealth,  was  to  seek  his  early  friend,  with 
a  view  to  offer  any  assistance  that  it  was  now  in  his  power 
to  bestow. 

The  death  of  Marmaduke's  father,  and  the  consequent 
division  of  his  small  estate,  rendered  such  an  offer  extremely 
acceptable  to  the  young  Pennsylvanian :  he  felt  his  own 
powers,  and  saw,  not  only  the  excellences,  but  the  foibles,  in 
the  character  of  his  friend.  EfTmgham  was  by  nature  indo 
lent,  confiding,  and  at  times  impetuous  and  indiscreet;  buf 
Marmaduke  was  uniformly  equable,  penetrating,  and  fu!3  oi 


THE  PIONEERS.  21 

activity  and  enterprise.  To  the  latter,  therefore,  tho  assist 
ance,  or  rather  connection,  that  was  proffered  to  him,  seemed 
to  produce  a  mutual  advantage.  It  was  cheerfully  accepted, 
and  the  arrangement  of  its  conditions  was  easily  completed. 
A  mercantile  house  was  established  in  the  metropolis  of 
Pennsylvania,  with  the  avails  of  Mr.  Effiugham's  personal 
property  ;  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  which  was  put  into  the  pos 
session  of  Temple,  who  was  the  only  ostensible  proprietor 
in  the  concern,  wliile,  in  secret,  the  other  was  entitled  to 
an  equal  participation  in  the  profits.  This  connection  -vas 
thus  kept  private  for  two  reasons ;  one  of  which,  in  the 
freedom  of  their  intercourse,  was  frankly  avowed  to  Marma- 
duke,  while  the  other  continued  profoundly  hid  in  the  bosom 
of  his  friend.  The  last  was  nothing  more  than  pride.  To 
the  descendant  of  a  line  of  soldiers,  commerce,  even  in  that 
indirect  manner,  seemed  a  degrading  pursuit ;  but  an  insu 
perable  obstacle  to  the  disclosure  existed  in  the  prejudices 
of  his  father. 

We  have  already  said  that  Major  Effingham  had  served 
as  a  soldier  with  reputation.  On  one  occasion,  while  in  com 
mand  011  the  western  frontier  of  Pennsylvania,  against  a 
league  of  the  French  and  Indians,  not  only  his  glory,  but 
the  safety  of  himself  and  his  troops  were  jeoparded,  by  the 
peaceful  policy  of  that  colony.  To  the  soldier,  this  was 
an  unpardonable  offense.  x  He  was  fighting  in  their  defense ; 
he  knew  that  the  mild  principles  of  this  little  nation  of  prac 
tical  Christians  would  be  disregarded  by  their  subtle  and 
malignant  enemies ;  and  he  felt  the  injury  the  more  deeply, 
because  lie  saw  that  the  avowed  object  of  the  colonists,  in 
withholding  their  succors,  would  only  have  a  tendency  to 
expose  his  command,  without  preserving  the  peace.  The 
»oldier  succeeded,  after  a  desperate  conflict,  in  extricating 
Himself,  with  a  handful  of  his  men,  from  their  murderous 
enemy ;  but  he  never  forgave  the  people  who  had  exposed 
him  to  a  danger  which  they  left  him  to  combat  alone.  It 
was  in  vain  to  tell  him  that  they  had  no  agency  in  his  be 
ing  placed  on  their  frontier  at  all ;  it  was  evidently  for  their 
benefit  that  he  had  been  so  placed,  and  it  was  their  "  religious 
duty,"  so  the  Major  always  expressed  it,  "  it  was  their 
ious  duty  to  have  supported  him." 


22  THE   PIONEERS. 

At  no  time  was  the  old  soldier  an  admirer  of  the  peaceful 
disciples  of  Fox.  Their  disciplined  habits,  both  of  mind 
and  body,  had  endowed  them  with  great  physical  perfection 
and  the  eye  of  the  veteran  was  apt  to  scan  the  fair  propor 
tions  and  athletic  frames  of  the  colonists,  with  a  look  that 
seemed  to  utter  volumes  of  contempt  for  their  moral  imbe 
cility.  He  was  also  a  little  addicted  to  the  expression  of  a 
belief,  that,  where  there  was  so  great  an  observance  of  the 
externals  of  religion,  there  could  not  be  much  of  the  sub 
stance.  It  is  not  our  task  to  explain  what  is,  or  what  ought 
to  be,  the  substance  of  Christianity,  but  merely  to  record 
in  this  place  the  opinions  of  Major  Einngham. 

Knowing  the  sentiments  of  the  father  in  relation  to  this 
people,  it  was  no  wonder  that  the  son  hesitated  to  avow  his 
connection  with,  nay,  even  his  dependence  on  the  integrity 
of  a  Quaker. 

It  has  been  said  that  Marmaduke  deduced  his  origin  from 
the  contemporaries  and  friends  of  Penn.  His  father  had 
married  without  the  pale  of  the  church  to  which  he  belonged, 
and  had,  in  this  manner,  forfeited  some  of  the  privileges  of 
his  offspring.  Still,  as  young  Marmaduke  was  educated  in 
a  colony  and  society  where  even  the  ordinary  intercourse 
between  friends  was.  tinctured  with  the  aspect  of  this  mild 
religion,  his  habits  and  language  were  somewhat  marked  by 
its  peculiarities.  His  own  marriage  at  a  future  day  with  a 
lady  without,  not  only  the  pale,  but  the  influence  of  this  sect 
of  religionists,  had  a  tendency,  it  is  true,  to  weaken  his  early 
impressions ;  still  he  retained  them  in  some  degree  to  .the 
hour  of  his  death,  and  was  observed  uniformly,  when  much 
interested  or  agitated,  to  speak  in  the  language  of  his  youth. 
But  this  is  anticipating  our  tale. 

When  Marmaduke  first  became  the  partner  ot  youn^ 
Effingham,  he  was  quite  the  Quaker  in  externals  ;  ;m<i  k 
was  too  dangerous  an  experiment  for  the  son  to  think  <>f  en 
countering  the  prejudices  of  the  father  on  this  subject.  Tin. 
connection,  therefore,  remained  a  profound  secret  to  all  but 
those  who  were  interested  in  it. 

For  a  few  years,  Marmaduke  directed  the  commercia. 
operations  of  his  house  with  a  prudence  and  sagacity  thai 


THE  PIONEERS.  28 

afforded  rich  returns.  He  married  the  lady  we  have  men 
tioned,  who  was  the  mother  of  Elizabeth,  and  the  visits  of 
his  friend  were  becoming  more  frequent.  There  was  a 
speedy  prospect  of  removing  the  veil  from  their  intercourse, 
as  its  advantages  became  each  hour  more  apparent  to  Mr. 
Effingham,  when  the  troubles  that  preceded  the  war  of  the 
Revolution  extended  themselves  to  an  alarming  degree. 

Educated  in  the  most  dependent  loyalty,  Mr.  Effmghain 
had.  from  the  commencement  of  the  disputes  between  the 
colonists  and  the  crown,  warmly  maintained  what  he  be 
lieved  to  be  the  just  prerogatives  of  his  prince ;  while,  ou 
the  other  hand,  the  clear  head  and  independent  mind  of 
Temple  had  induced  him  to  espouse  the  cause  of  the  people. 
Both  might  have  been  influenced  by  early  impressions ;  for, 
if  the  son  of  the  loyal  and  gallant  soldier  bowed  in  implicit 
obedience  to  the  will  of  his  sovereign,  the  descendant  of  the 
persecuted  follower  of  Penn  looked  back,  with  a  little  bitter 
ness,  to  the  unmerited  wrongs  that  had  been  heaped  upon 
his  ancestors. 

This  difference  in  opinion  had  long  been  a  subject  of 
amicable  dispute  between  them ;  but,  latterly,  the  contest 
was  getting  to  be  too  important  to  admit  of  trivial  discussions 
on  the  part  of  Marmaduke,  whose  acute  discernment  was 
already  catching  faint  glimmerings  of  the  important  events 
that  were  in  embryo.  The  sparks  of  dissension  soon  kindled 
into  a  blaze  ;  and  the  colonies,  or  rather,  as  they  quickly  de 
clared  themselves,  the  States,  became  a  scene  of  strife  and 
bloodshed  for  years. 

A  short  time  before  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Mr.  Effing- 
ham,  already  a  widower,  transmitted  to  Marmaduke,  for  safe 
keeping,  all  his  valuable  effects  and  papers ;  and  left  the  col 
ony  without  his  father.  The  war  had,  however,  scarcely 
commenced  in  earnest,  when  he  reappeared  in  New  York, 
Wearing  the  livery  of  his  king ;  and,  in  a  short  time,  he  took 
the  field  at  the  head  of  a  provincial  corps.  In  the  mean 
time,  Marmaduke  had  completely  committed  himself  in  the 
cause,  as  it  was  then  called,  of  the  rebellion.  Of  course,  all 
intercourse  between  the  friends  ceased :  on  the  part  of 
Uolonel  Effingham  it  was  unsought,  and  on  that  of  Manna- 


24  THE  PIONEERS. 

duke  there  was  a  cautious  reserve.  It  soon  became  nece* 
sary  for  the  latter  to  abandon  the  capital  of  Philadelphia 
but  he  had  taken  the  precaution  to  remove  the  whole  of  his 
effects  beyond  the  reach  of  the  royal  forces,  including  the 
papers  of  his  friend  also.  There  he  continued  serving  his 
country  during  the  struggle,  in  various  civil  capacities,  and 
always  with  dignity  and  usefulness.  While,  however,  he 
discharged  his  functions  with  credit  and  fidelity,  Marmaduke 
never  seemed  to  lose  sight  of  his  own  interests  ;  for,  when 
the  estates  of  the  adherents  of  the  crown  fell  under  the  ham 
mer,  by  the  acts  of  confiscation,  he  appeared  in  New  York, 
and  became  the  purchaser  of  extensive  possessions  at  com 
paratively  low  prices. 

It  is  true  that  Marmaduke,  by  thus  purchasing  estates 
that  had  been  wrested  by  violence  from  others,  rendered 
himself  obnoxious  to  the  censures  of  that  sect  which,  at  the 
Bame  time  that  it- discards  its  children  from  a  full  participa 
tion  in  the  family  union,  seems  ever  unwilling  to  abandon  them 
entirely  to  the  world.  But  either  his  success,  or  the  fre 
quency  of  the  transgression  in  others,  soon  wiped  off  this 
slight  stain  from  his  character ;  and,  although  there  were  a 
few  who,  dissatisfied  with  their  own  fortunes,  or  conscious  of 
their  own  demerits,  would  make  dark  hints  concerning  the 
sudden  prosperity  of  the  unportioned  Quaker,  yet  his  ser 
vices,  and  possibly  his  wealth,  soon  drove  the  recollection  of 
these  vague  conjectures  from  men's  minds. 

When  the  war  ended,  and  the  independence  of  the  States 
was  acknowledged,  Mr.  Temple  turned  his  attention  from 
the  pursuit  of  commerce,  which  was  then  fluctuating  and 
uncertain,  to  the  settlement  of  those  tracts  of  land  which 
he  had  purchased.  Aided  by  a  good  deal  of  money,  and 
directed  by  the  suggestions  of  a  strong  and  practical  reason, 
his  enterprise  throve  to  a  degree  that  the  climate  and  rug 
ged  face  of  the  country  which  he  selected  would  seem  to 
forbid.  His  property  increased  in  a  tenfold  ratio,  and  he 
was  already  ranked  among  the  most  wealthy  and  important 
of  his  countrymen.  To  inherit  this  wealth  he  had  but  ono 
child,  the  daughter  whom  we  have  introduced  to  the  reader, 
ami  whom  he  was  now  conveying  from  school  to  presida 
over  a  household  that  had  too  long  wanted  a  mistress. 


THE   PIONEERS.  25 

When  the  district  in  which  his  estates  lay  had  become 
sufficiently  populous  to  be  set  off  as  a  county,  Mr.  Temple 
had,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  new  settlements,  been 
selected  to  fill  its  highest  judicial  station.  This  might  make 
a  Templar  smile ;  but,  in  addition  to  the  apology  of  neces 
sity,  there  is  ever  a  dignity  in  talents  and  experience  that 
is  commonly  sufficient,  in  any  station,  for  the  protection  of 
its  possessor;  and  Marrnaduke,  more  fortunate  in  his  na 
tive  clearness  of  mind  than  the  judge  of  King  Charles,  not 
only  decided  right,  but  was  generally  able  to  give  a  very 
good  reason  for  it.  At  all  events,  such  was  the  universal 
practice  of  the  country  and  the  times;  and  Judge  Temple, 
BO  far  from  ranking  among  the  lowest  of  his  judicial  con 
temporaries  in  the  courts  of  the  new  counties,  felt  himself, 
and  was  unanimously  acknowledged  to  be,  among  the  first. 

We  shall  here  close  this  brief  explanation  of  the  history 
and  character  of  some  of  our  personages,  leaving  them  ir 
ftatuie  to  speak  and  act  for  themselves. 


26 


THE  PIONEEBS. 


CHAPTER   III. 

All  that  thou  seest,  is  nature's  handiwork  ; 
Those  rocks  that  upward  throw  their  mossy  browi 
Like  castled  pinnacles  of  elder  times  ! 
These  venerable  stems,  tliat  slowly  rock 
Their  lowering  branches  in  the  wintry  gale  ! 
That  field  of  frost,  which  glitters  in  the  sun, 
Mocking  the  whiteness  of  a  marble  breast  ! 
Yel  man  can  mar  such  works  with  his  rude  taste, 
Like  some  sad  spoiler  of  a  virgin's  fame. 

Duo. 

SOME  little  while  elapsed  ere  Marinacluke  Temple  was 
sufficiently  recovered  from  his  agitation  to  scan  the  person 
of  his  new  companion.  He  now  observed  that  he  was  a 
youth  of  some  two  or  three  and  twenty  years  of  age,  and 
rather  above  the  middle  height.  Further  observation  was 
prevented  by  the  rough  overcoat  which  was  belted  close  to 
his  form  by  a  worsted  sash,  much  like  the  one  worn  by  the 
old  hunter.  The  eyes  of  the  Judge,  after  resting  a  moment 
on  the  figure  of  the  stranger,  were  raised  to  a  scrutiny  of 
his  countenance.  There  had  been  a  look  of  care,  visible  in 
the  features  of  the  youth,  when  he  first  entered  the  sleigh, 
that  had  not  only  attracted  the  notice  of  Elizabeth,  but 
which  she  had  been  much  puzzled  to  interpret.  His  anxiety' 
seemed  the  strongest  when  he  was  enjoining  his  old  com 
panion  to  secrecy  ;  and  even  when  he  had  decided,  and  was 
rather  passively  suffering  himself  to  be  conveyed  to  the  vil 
lage,  the  expression  of  his  eyes  by  no  means  indicated  any 
great  degree  of  self-satisfaction  at  the  step.  But  the  lines 
of  an  uncommonly  prepossessing  countenance  were  gradu 
ally  becoming  composed  ;  and  he  now  sat  silent,  and  appar 
ently  musing.  The  Judge  gazed  at  him  for  some  time  with 
earnestness,  and  then  smiling,  as  if  at  his  own  forgetfulness, 
ho  said, — 


THE  PIONEERS.  27 

*  I  believe,  my  young  friend,  that  terror  has  driven  you 
from  my  recollection ;  your  face  is  very  familiar,  and  yet 
for  the  honor  of  a  score  of  bucks'  tails  in  my  cap,  I  could 
not  tell  your  name." 

"  I  came  into  the  country  but  three  weeks  since,"  re 
turned  the  youth  coldly,  "  and  I  understand  you  have  been 
absent  twice  that  time." 

"  It  will  be  five  to-morrow.  Yet  your  face  is  one  that  I 
have  seen ;  though  it  would  not  be  strange,  such  has  been 
my  affright,  should  I  see  thee  in  thy  winding-sheet  walking 
by  my  bedside  to-night.  What  say'st  thou,  Uess  ?  Am  I 
compos  mentis  or  not  ?  fit  to  charge  ^a  grand  jury,  or,  what 
is  just  now  of  more  pressing  necessity,  able  to  do  the 
honors  of  a  Christinas  Eve  in  the  hall  of  Templeton  ?  " 

"  More  able  to  do  either,  my  dear  father,"  said  a  playful 
voice  from  under  the  ample  inclosures  of  the  hood,  "  than 
to  kill  deer  with  a  smooth-bore."  A  short  pause  followed, 
and  the  same  voice,  but  in  a  different  accent,  continued, 
"  We  shall  have  good  reasons  for  our  vhanksgiving  to-night, 
on  more  accounts  .than  one." 

The  horses  soon  reached  a  point  where  they  seemed  to 
know  by  instinct  that  the  journey  was  nearly  ended,  and 
bearing  on  the  bits  as  they  tossed  their  heads,  they  rapidly 
drew  the  sleigh  over  the  level  land  which  lay  on  the  top  of 
the  mountain,  and  soon  came  to  the  point  where  the  road 
descended  suddenly,  but  circuitously,  into  the  valley. 

The  Judge  was  roused  from  his  reflections,  when  he  saw 
the  four  columns  of  smoke  which  floated  above  his  own 
chimneys.  As  house,  village,  and  valley  burst  on  his  sight, 
he  exclaimed  cheerfully  to  his  daughter,  — 

"  See,  Bess,  there  is  thy  resting-place  for  life !  And 
thine,  too,  young  man,  if  thou  wilt  consent  to  dwell  with 
us." 

The  eyes  of  his  auditors  involuntarily  met ;  and  if  the 
color  that  gathered  over  the  face  of  Elizabeth  was  contra 
dicted  by  the  cold  expression  of  her  eye,  the  ambiguous 
smile  that  again  played  about  the  lips  of  the  stranger  seemed 
equally  to  deny  the  probability  of  his  consenting  to  form 
one  of  this  fr.rnily  group.  The  scene  was  one,  however 


28  THE  PIONEERS. 

which  might  easily  warm  a  heart  less  given  to  philanthropy 
than  that  of  Marmaduke  Temple. 

The  side  of  the  mountain  on  which  our  travellers  were 
journeying,  though  not  absolutely  perpendicular,  was  so 
steep  as  to  render  great  care  necessary  in  descending  the 
rude  and  narrow  path,  which,  in  that  early  day,  wound 
along  the  precipices.  The  negro  reined  in  his  impatient 
steeds,  and  time  was  given  Elizabeth  to  dwell  on  a  scene 
whicL  was  so  rapidly  altering  under  the  hands  of  man, 
that  it  only  resembled,  in  its  outlines,  the  picture  she  had 
so  often  studfed  with  delight,  in  childhood.  Immediately 
beneath  them  lay  a  seeming  plain,  glittering  without  in 
equality,  and  buried  in  mountains.  The  latter  were  pre 
cipitous,  especially  on  the  side  of  the  plain,  and  chiefly  in 
forest.  Here  and  there  the  hills  fell  away  in  long,  low 
points,  and  broke  the  sameness  of  the  outline,  or  setting  to 
the  long  and  wide  field  of  snow,  which,  without  house,  tree, 
fence,  or  any  other  fixture,  resembled  so  much  spotless 
cloud  settled  to  the  earth.  A  few  dark  and  moving  spots 
were,  however,  visible  on  the  even  surface,  which  the  eye 
of  Elizabeth  knew  to  be  so  many  sleighs  going  their  several 
ways,  to  or  from  the  village.  On  the  western  border  of  the 
plain,  the  mountains,  though  equally  high,  we're  less  pre 
cipitous,  and  as  they  receded,  opened  into  irregular  valleys 
and  glens,  or  were  formed  into  terraces  and  hollows  that 
admitted  of  cultivation.  Although  the  evergreens  still  held 
dominion  over  many  of  the  hills  that  rose  on  this  side  of 
the  valley,  yet  the  undulating  outlines  of  the  distant  moun 
tains,  covered  with  forests  of  beech  and  maple,  gave  a  relief 
to  the  eye,  and  the  promise  of  a  kinder  soil.  Occasionally 
spots  of  white  were  discoverable  amidst  the  forests  of  the 
opposite  hills,  which  announced  by  the  smoke  that  curled 
over  the  tops  of  the  trees,  the  habitations  of  man,  and  the 
commencement  of  agriculture.  These  spots  were  some 
times,  by  the  aid  of  united  labor,  enlarged  into  what  were- 
tailed  settlements,  but  more  frequently  were  small  and  in 
sulated  ;  though  so  rapid  were  the  changes,  and  so  persever 
ing  the  labors  of  those  who  had  cast  their  fortunes  on  the 
luccess  of  the  enterprise,  that  it  was  not  difficult  for  th« 


THE  PIONEERS.  29 

imagination  of  Elizabeth  to  conceive  they  were  enlarging 
under  her  eye,  while  she  was  gazing,  in  mute  wonder,  at  the 
alterations  that  a  few  shor^,  years  had  made  in  the  aspect  of 
the  country.  The  points  on  the  western  side  of  this  re 
markable  plain,  on  which  no  plant  had  taken  root,  were 
both  larger  and  more  numerous  than  those  on  its  eastern, 
and  one  in  particular  thrust  itself  forward  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  form  beautifully  curved  bays  of  snow  on  either  side. 
On  its  extreme  end  an  oak  stretched  forward,  as  if  to  over 
shadow,  with  its  branches,  a  spot  which  its  roots  were  for 
bidden  to  enter.  It  had  released  itself  from  the  thralldom 
that  a  growth  of  centuries  had  imposed  on  the  branches 
of  the  surrounding  forest  trees,  and  threw  its  gnarled  and 
fantastic  arms  abroad,  in  the  wildness  of  liberty.  A  dark 
spot  of  a  few  acres  in  extent  at  the  southern  extremity  of 
this  beautiful  flat,  and  immediately  under  the  feet  of  our 
travellers,  alone  showed  by  its  rippling  surface,  and  the  va-- 
pors  which  exhaled  from  it,  that  what  at  first  might  seem  a 
plain,  was  one  of  the  mountain  lakes,  locked  in  the  frosts  of 
winter.  A  narrow  current  rushed  impetuously  from  its  bosom 
at  the  open  place  we  have  mentioned,  and  was  to  be  traced 
for  miles,  as  it  wound  its  way  towards  the  south  through 
the  real  valley,  by  its  borders  of  hemlock  and  pine,  and  by 
the  vapor  which  arose  from  its  warmer  surface  into  the  chill 
atmosphere  of  the  hills.  The  banks  of  this  lovely'  basin,  at 
its  outlet,  or  southern  end,  were  steep  but  not  high ;  and  in 
that  direction  the  land  continued,  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 
a  narrow  but  graceful  valley,  along  which  the  settlers  had 
scattered  their  humble  habitations,  with  a  profusion  that  be 
spoke  the  quality  of  the  soil,  and  the  comparative  facilities 
of  intercourse. 

Immediately  on  the  bank  of  the  lake  and  at  its  foot, 
stood  the  village-  of  -Templeton.  It  consisted  of  some  fifty 
buildings,  including  those  of  every  description,  cliiefly  built 
of  wood,  and  which,  in  their  architecture,  bore  no  great 
marks  of  taste,  but  which  also,  by  the  unfinished  appearance 
of  most  of  the  dwellings,  indicated  the  hasty  manner  of  their 
construction.  To  the  eye,  they  presented  a  variety  of 
colors  A  few  were  white  in  >x>th  frpnt  and  rear,  but  more 


80  THE  PIONEERS. 

bore  that  expensive  color  on  their  fronts  only,  while  then 
economical  but  ambitious  owners  had  covered  the  remaining 
sides  of  the  edifices  with  a  dingy  red.  One  or  two  were 
slowly  assuming  the  russet  of  age  ;  while  the  uncovered 
beams  that  were  to  be  seen  through  the  broken  windows 
of  their  second  stories,  showed  that  either  the  taste  or  the 
vanity  of  their  proprietors  had  led  them  to  undertake  a  task 
which  they  were  unable  to  accomplish.  The  whole  were 
grouped  in  a  manner  that  aped  the  streets  of  a  city,  and 
were  evidently  so  arranged  by  the  direction  of  one  wlro 
looked  to  the  wants  of  posterity  rather  than  to  the  con 
venience  of  the  present  incumbents.  Some  three  or  four 
of  the  better  sort  of  buildings,  in  addition  to  the  uniformity 
of  their  color,  were  fitted  with  green  blinds,  which,  at  that 
season  at  least,  were  rather  strangely  contrasted  to  the  chill 
aspect  of  the  lake,  the  mountains,  the  forests,  and  the  wide 
fields  of  snow.  Before  the  door  of  these  pretending  dwell 
ings  were  placed  a  few  saplings,  either  without  branches,  or 
possessing  only  the  feeble  shoots  of  one  or  two  summers' 
growth,  that  looked  not  unlike  tall  grenadiers  on  post  near 
the  threshold  of  princes.  In  truth,  the  occupants  of  these 
favored  habitations  were  the  nobles  of  Templeton,  as  Mar- 
maduke  was  its  king.  They  were  the  dwellings  of  two 
young  men  who  were  cunning  in  the  law  ;  an  equal  number 
of  that  class  who  chaffered  to  the  wants  of  the  community 
under  the  title  of  store-keepers ;  and  a  disciple  of  JEsculapius, 
who,  for  a  novelty,  brought  more  subjects  into  the  world 
than  he  sent  out  of  it.  In  the  midst  of  this  incongruous 
group  of  dwellings,  rose  the  mansion  of  the  Judge,  tower 
ing  above  all  its  neighbors.  It  stood  in  the  centre  of  an 
iuclosurc  of  several  acres,  which  were  covered  with  fruit- 
trees.  Some  of  the  latter  had  been  left  by  the  Indians,  and 
began  already  to  assume  the  moss  and  inclination  of  age, 
therein  forming  a  very  marked  contrast  to  the  infant  plan 
tations  that  peered  over  most  of  the  picketed  fences  of  the 
village.  In  addition  to  this  show  of  cultivation,  were  two 
rows  of  young  Lombardy  poplars,  a  tree  but  lately  intro 
duced  into  America,  formally  lining  either  side  of  a  pathway, 
which  led  from  a  gate  that  opened  on  the  principal  street 


THE   1'IONEBRS.  81 

to  the  front  door  of  the  building.  The  house  itself  hacf 
been  built  entirely  under  the  superintendence  of  a  certain 
Mr.  Richard  Jones,  whom  we  have  already  mentioned,  and 
who,  from  his  cleverness  in  small  matters,  and  an  entire 
willingness  to  exert  his  talents,  added  to  the  circumstance  of 
their  being  sisters'  children,  ordinarily  superintended  all  tlio 
minor  concerns  of  Marmaduke  Temple.  Richard  was  fond 
of  saying,  that  this  child  of  his  invention  consisted  of.  noth 
ing  more  nor  less  than  what  should  form  the  groundwork  ol 
every  clergyman's  discourse  ;  namely,  a  firstly,  and  a  lastly. 
He  had  commenced  his  labors,  in  the  first  year  of  their 
residence,  by  erecting  a  tall,  gaunt  edifice  of  wood,  with  its 
gable  towards  the  highway.  In  this  shelter,  for  it  was  little 
more,  the  family  resided  three  years.  By  the  end  of  that 
period,  Richard  had  completed  his  design.  He  had  availed 
himself,  in  this  heavy  undertaking,  of  the  experience  of 
a  certain  wandering  eastern  mechanic,  who,  by  exhibiting 
a  few  soiled  plates  of  English  architecture,  and  talking 
learnedly  of  friezes,  entablatures,  and  particularly  of  the 
composite  order,  had  obtained  a  very  undue  influence  over 
Richard's  taste,  in  everything  that  pertained  to  that  branch 
of  the  fine  arts.  Not  that  Mr.  Jones  did  not  affect  to  con 
sider  Hiram  Doolittle  a  perfect  empiric  in  his  profession, 
being  in  the  constant  habit  of  listening  to  his  treatises  on 
architecture  with  a  kind  of  indulgent  smile  ;  yet,  either  from 
an  inability  to  oppose  them  by  anything  plausible  from  his 
own  stores  of  learning,  or  from  secret  admiration,  Richard 
generally  submitted  to  the  arguments  of  his  coadjutor. 
Together,  they  had  not  only  erected  a  dwelling  for  Marma 
duke,  but  they  had  given  a  fashion  to  the  architecture  of 
the  whole  county.  The  composite  order,  Mr.  Doolittle 
would  contend,  was  an  order  composed  of  many  others,  and 
was  intended  to  be  the  most  useful  of  all,  for  it  admitted 
into  its  construction  such  alterations  as  convenience  or  cir- 
\mistances  might  require.  To  tins  proposition  Richard 
usually  assented ;  and  when  rival  geniuses,  who  monopolize 
not  only  all  the  reputation,  but  most  of  the  money  of  a 
neighborhood,  are  of  a  mind,  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see 
ihem  lead  the  fashion,  even  in  graver  matters.  In  the 


82  THE  PIONEERS. 

present  instance,  as  we  have  already  liintcd,  the  castle,  aa 
Judge  Templeton's  dwelling  was  termed  in  common  par 
lance,  came  to  be  the  model,  in  some  one  or  other  of  its 
numerous  excellences,  for  every  aspiring  edifice  within 
twenty  miles  of  it. 

The  house  itself,  or  the  "  lastly,"  was  of  stone ;  large, 
square,  and  far  from  uncomfortable.1  These  were  four 
requisites,  on  which  Marmaduke  had  insisted  with  a  little 
more  than  his  ordinary  pertinacity.  But  everything  else 
was  peaceably  assigned  to  Richard  and  his  associate.  These 
worthies  found  the  material  a  little  to  solid  for  the  tools  of 
their  workmen,  which,  in  general,  were  employed  on  a  sub 
stance  no  harder  than  the  white  pine  of  the  adjacent  moun 
tains,  a  wood  so  proverbially  soft,  that  it  is  commonly  chosen 
by  the  hunters  for  pillows.  But  for  this  awkward  dilemma, 
it  is  probable  that  the  ambitious  tastes  of  our  two  archi 
tects  would  have  left  us  much  more  to  do  in  the  way  of 
description.  Driven  from  the  faces  of  the  house  by  the 
obduracy  of  the  material,  they  took  refuge  in  the  porch  and 
on  the  roof.  The  former,  it  was  decided,  should  be  severely 
classical,  and  the  latter  a  rare  specimen  of  the  merits  of 
the  composite  order. 

A  roof,  Richard  contended,  was  a  part  of  the  edifice  tha4, 
the  ancients  always  endeavored  to  conceal,  it  being  an 
excrescence  in  architecture  that  was  only  to  be  tolerated  on 
account  of  its  usefulness.  Besides,  as  he  wittily  added,  a 
chief  merit  in  a  dwelling  was  to  present  a  front,  on  which 
ever  side  it  might  happen  to  be  seen  ;  for  as  it  was  exposed 
to  all  eyes  in  all  weathers,  there  should  be  no  weak  flank 
for  envy  or  unneighborly  criticism  to  assail.  It  was  there 
fore  decided  that  the  roof  should  be  flat,  and  with  four  faces. 
To  this  arrangement,  Marmaduke  objected  the  heavy  snows 
that  lay  for  months,  frequently  covering  the  earth  to  a 
depth  of  three  or  four  feet.  Happily,  the  facilities  of  the 
composite  order  presented  themselves  to  effect  a  com 
promise,  and  the  rafters  were  lengthened,  so  as  to  give  a 
descent  that  should  carry  off  the  frozen  element.  But  un 
luckily,  some  mistake  was  made  in  the  admeasurement  of 
these  material  Darts  of  the  fabric :  and  as  one  of  the  great 

1  See  Annandu  Note  J> 


THE  PIONEERS.  83 

cat  recommendations  of  Hiram  was  his  ability  to  work  by 
the  "square  rule,"  no  opportunity  was  found  of  discovering 
the  effect  until  the  massive  timbers  were  raised,  on  the  four 
walls  of  the  building.  Then,  indeed,  it  was  soon  seen,  that, 
in  defiance  of  all  rule,  the  roof  was  by  far  the  most  con 
spicuous  part  of  the  whole  edifice.  Richard  and  his  associate 
consoled  themselves  with  the  belief,  that  the  covering  would 
aid  in  concealing  this  unnatural  elevation ;  but  every  shingle 
thai  was  laid  only  multiplied  objects  to  look  at.  Richard 
essayed  to  remedy  the  evil  with  paint,  and  four  different 
colors  were  laid  on  by  his  own  hands.  The  first  was  a 
sky-blue,  in  the  vain  expectation  that  the  eye  might  be 
cheated  into  the  belief  it  was  the  heavens  themselves  Jiat 
hung  so  imposingly  over  Marmaduke's  dwelling ;  the  second 
was  what  he  called  a  "  cloud-color,"  being  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  an  imitation  ol*  smoke ;  the  third  was  what 
Richard  termed  an  invisible  green,  an  experiment  that  did 
not  succeed  against  a  background  of  sky.  Abandoning  the 
attempt  to  conceal,  our  architects  drew  upon  their  invention 
for  means  to  ornament  the  offensive  shingles.  After  much 
deliberation  and  two  or  three  essays  by  moonlight,  Richard 
ended  the  affair  by  boldly  covering  the  whole  beneath  a 
color  that  he  christened  "sunshine,"  a  cheap  way,  as  he 
assured  his  cousin,  the  Judge,  of  always  keeping  fair  weather 
over  his  head.  The  platform,  as  well  as  the  eaves  of  the 
house,  were  surmounted  by  gaudily  .painted  railings,  and 
the  genius  of  Hiram  was  exerted  in  the  fabrication  of  divers 
urns  and  mouldings,  that  were  scattered  profusely  around 
this  part  of  their  labors.  Richard  had  originally  a  cun 
ning  expedient,  by  which  the  chimneys  were  intended  to  be 
BO  low,  and  so  situated,  as  to  resemble  ornaments  on  th<t 
balustrades  :  but  comfort  required  that  the  chimneys  should 
rise  with  the  roof,  in  order  that  the  smoke  might  be  carried 
off,  and  they  thus  became  four  extremely  conspicuous  objects 
in  the  view. 

As  this  roof  was  much  the  most  important  architectural 
undertaking  in  which  Mr.  Jones  was  ever  engaged,  his 
'ailure  produced  a  correspondent  degree  of  mortification* 
A.t  first  he  whispered  among  his  acquaintances,  that  it  pro 


84  THE   PIONEERS. 

ceeded  from  ignorance  of  the  square  rule  on  tho  part  of 
Hiram ;  but  as  liis  eye  became  gradually  accustomed  to  the 
object,  he  grew  better  satisfied  with  his  labors,  and  instead 
of  apologizing  for  the  defects,  he  commenced  praising  the 
beauties  of  the  Mansion-house.  He  soon  found  hearers  ; 
and,  as  wealth  and  comfort  are  at  all  times  attractive,  it 
was,  as  has  been  said,  made  a  model  for  imitation  on  a  small 
scale.  In  less  than  two  years  from  its  erection,  he  had  the 
pleasura  of  standing  on  the  elevated  platform,  and  of  look- 
ing  down  on  three  humble  imitators  of  its  beauty.  Thus  it 
is  ever  with  fashion,  which  even  renders  the  faults  of  the 
great  subjects  of  admiration. 

Marmaduke  bore  this  deformity  in  his  dwelling  with  great 
good  nature,  and  soon  contrived,  by  his  own  improvements, 
to  give  an  air  of  respectability  and  comfort  to  his  place 
of  residence.  Still  there  was  much  of  incongruity,  even 
immediately  about  the  Mansion-house.  Although  poplars 
had  been  brought  from  Europe  to  ornament  the  grounds, 
and  willows  and  other  trees  were  gradually  springing  up 
nigh  the  dwelling,  yet  many  a  pile  of  snow  betrayed  the 
presence  of  the  stump  of  a  pine.;  and  even  in  one  or  two 
instances,  unsightly  remnants  of  trees  that  had  been  partly 
destroyed  by  fire  were  seen  rearing  their  black,  glistening 
columns  twenty  or  thirty  feet  above  the  pure  white  of  the 
snow.  These,  which  in  the  language  of  the  country  are 
termed  stubs,  abounded  in  the  open  fields  adjacent  to  the 
tillage,  and  were  accompanied,  occasionally,  by  the  ruin  of 
a  pine  or  a  hemlock  that  had  been  stripped  of  its  bark,  and 
which  waved  in  melancholy  grandeur  its  naked  limbs  to  the 
blast,  a  skeleton  of  its  former  glory.  But  these  and  many 
other  unpleasant  additions  to  the  view  were  unseen  by  the 
delighted  Elizabeth,  who,  as  the  horses  moved  down  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  saw  only  in  gross  the  cluster  of  houses 
rh.it  lay  like  a  map  at  her  feet;  the  fifty  smokes  that  were 
ci.:  J.I  ing  from  the  valley  to  the  clouds  ;  the  frozen  lake,  as  it 
lay  imbedded  in  mountains  of  evergreen,  with  the  long 
shadows  of  the  pines  on  its  white  surface,  lengthening  in  the 
setting  sun ;  the  dark  ribbon  of  \vater,  that  gushed  from  the 
outlet,  and  was  winding  its  way  towards  the  distant  Chesa- 


THE  PIONEERS.  &) 

peake —  the  altered,  though  still  remembered,  scenes  of 
her  childhood. 

Five  years  had  wrought  greater  changes  than  a  century 
would  produce  in  countries  where  time  and  labor  have  given 
permanency  to  the  works  of  man.  To  the  young  hunter 
and  the  Judge  the  scene  had  less  novelty ;  though  none 
ever  emerge  from  the  dark  forests  of  that  mountain,  and 
witness  the  glorious  scenery  of  that  beauteous  valley,  as  it 
bursts  unexpectedly  upon  them,  without  a  feeling  of  delight. 
The  former  cast  one  admiring  -glance  from  north  to  south; 
and  sank  his  face  again  beneath  the  folds  of  his  coat ;  while 
the  latter  contemplated,  with  philanthropic  pleasure,  the 
prospect  of  affluence  and  comfort  that  was  expanding 
around  him;  the  result  of  his  own  enterprise,  and  much  oi 
it  the  fruits  of  his  own  industry. 

The  cheerful  sound  of  sleigh-bells,  however,  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  whole  party,  as  they  came  jingling  up  the 
sides  of  the  mountain,  at  a  rate  that  announced  a  powerful 
team  and  a  hard  driver.  The  bushes  which  lined  the  high 
way  interrupted  the  view,  and  the  two  sleighs  were  ciost 
upon  each  other  before  either  was  seen. 


86  THE  PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

How  now?  whose  mare's  dead?  what's  the  matter? 

FALSTAF*. 

A  LARGE  lumber-sleigh,  drawn  by  four  horses,  was  soon 
seen  dashing  through  the  leafless  bushes  which  fringed  the 
road.  The  leaders  were  of  gray,  and  the  pole  horses  of  a 
jet  black.  Bells  innumerable  were  suspended  from  every 
part  of  the  harness  where  one  of  the  tinkling  balls  could 
be  placed ;  while  the  rapid  movement  of  the  equipage,  in 
defiance  of  the  steep  ascent,  announced  the  desire  of  the 
driver  to  ring  them  to  the  utmost.  The  first  glance  at  this 
singular  arrangement  acquainted  the  judge  with  the  charac 
ter  of  those  in  the  sleigh.  It  contained  four  male  figurea 
On  one  of  those  stools  that  are  used  at  writing-desks,  lashed 
firmly  to  the  sides  of  the  vehicle,  was  seated  a  little  man, 
enveloped  in  a  great  coat  fringed  with  fur,  in  such  a  man 
ner  that  no  part  of  him  was  visible  excepting  a  face  of  an 
unvarying  red  color.  There  was  a  habitual  upward  look 
about  the  head  of  this  gentleman,  as  if  dissatisfied  with  its 
natural  proximity  to  the  earth  ;  and  the  expression  of  his 
countenance  was  that  of  busy  care.  He  was  the  charioteer, 
and  he  guided  the  mettled  animals  along  the  precipice  with 
a  fearless  eye  and  a  steady  hand.  Immediately  behind  him, 
with  his  face  towards  the  other  two,  was  a  tall  figure,  to 
whose  appearance  not  even  the  duplicate  overcoats  which 
he  wore,  aided  by  the  corner  of  a  horse-blanket,  could  give 
the  appearance  of  strength.  His  face  was  protruding  from 
beneath  a  woolen  night-cap ;  and  when  he  turned  to  the 
vehicle  of  Marmaduke,  as  the  sleighs  approached  each  other, 
it  seemed  formed  by  nature  to  cut  the  atmosphere  with  the 
least  possible  resistance.  The  eyes  alone  appeared  to  cre 
ate  any  obstacle,  for  from  either  side  of  his  forehead  their 


THE  PIONEERS.  37 

light,  blue,  glassy  balls  projected.  Tne  sallow  of  his  coun 
tenance  was  too  permanent  to  be  affected  even  by  the  in 
tense  cold  of  the  evening.  Opposite  to  this  personage  sat  a 
solid,  short,  and  square  figure.  No  part  of  his  form  was  to 
be  discovered  through  his  over-dress,  but  a  face  that  was 
illuminated  by  a  pair  of  black  eyes,  that  gave  the  lie  to 
every  demure  feature  in  his  countenance.  A  fair,  jolly  wig 
furnished  a  neat  and  rounded  outline  to  his  visage,  and  he, 
as  well  as  the  other  two,  wore  marten-skin  caps.  The 
fourth  was  a  meek-looking,  long-visaged  man,  without  any 
other  protection  from  the  cold  than  that  which  was  fur 
nished  by  a  black  surtout,  made  with  some  little  formality, 
but  which  was  rather  threadbare  and  rusty.  He  wo  re*  a 
hat  of  extremely  decent  proportions,  though  frequent  brush 
ing  had  quite  destroyed  its  nap.  His  face  was  pale,  and 
withal  a  little  melancholy,  or  what  might  be  termed  of  a 
Btudious  complexion.  The  air  had  given  it,  just  now,  a 
slight  and  somewhat  feverish  flush.  The  character  of  his 
whole  appearance,  especially  contrasted  to  the  air  of  humor 
in  his  next  companion,  was  that  of  habitual  mental  care. 
No  sooner  had  the  two  sleighs  approached  within  speaking 
distance,  than  the  driver  of  this  fantastic  equipage  shouted 

oud,  — 

"  Draw  up  in  the  quarry  —  draw  up,  thou  king  of  the 
Creeks;  draw  intu  .;he  auarry,  Agamemnon,  or  I  shall 
never  be  able  to  pass  you.  Welcome  home,  cousin  'Duke  — 
welcome,  welcome,  black-eyed  Bess.  Thou  seest,  Marm* 
duke,  that  I  have  taken  the  field  with  an  assorted  cargo,  to 
do  thee  honor.  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  has  come  out  with  only 
one  cap ;  old  Fritz  would  not  stay  to  finish  the  bottle  ;  and 
Mr.  Grant  has  got  to  put  the  '  lastly '  to  his  sermon  yet. 
Even  all  the  horses  would  come  —  by  the  bye,  Judge,  I  must 
sell  the  blacks  for  you  immediately ;  they  interfere,  and  the 
nigh  one  is  a  bad  goer  in  double  harness.  I  can  get  rid  of 
them  to  "  — 

"  Sell  what  thou  wilt,  Dickon,"  interrupted  the  cheerful 
voice  of  the  Judge,  "  so  that  thou  leavest  me  my  daughter 
and  my  lands.  Ah !  Fritz,  my  old  friend,  this  is  a  kind 
compliment,  indeed,  for  seventy  to  pay  to  five-and- forty 


88  THE  PIONEERS.. 

Monsiem  Le  Quoi,  I  am  your  servant.     Mr.  Grant,"  lifting 
his  cap,  "  1  feel  indebted   to  your  attention.     Gentlemen,  I 

-    make  you   acquainted  with  my  child.     Yours   are  names 
with  which  she  is  very  familiar." 

"Velcome,  velcome,  Tchooge,"  said  the  elder  of  the 
party,  with  a  strong  German  accent.  "  Miss  Petsy  vill 
owe  me  a  kiss." 

"  And  cheerfully  will  I  pay  it,  my  good  sir,"  cried  lh« 
soft  voice  of  Elizabeth ;  which  sounded,  in  the  clear  air  of 
the  hills,  like  tones  of  silver,  amid  the  loud  cries  of  Rich 
ard,  "  I  have  always  a  kiss  for  my  old  friend,  Major  Hart- 
maun." 

•By  this  time  the  gentleman  in  the  front  seat,  who  had 
been  addressed  as  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  had  arisen  with  somo 
difficulty,  owing  to  the  impediment  of  his  overcoats,  and 
steadying  himself  by  placing  one  hand  on  the  stool  of  the 
charioteer,  with  the  other  he  removed  his  cap,  and  bowing 
politely  to  the  Judge,  and  profoundly  to  Elizabeth,  he  paid 
his  compliments. 

"  Cover  thy  poll,  Gaul,  cover  thy  poll,"  cried  the  driver, 
who  was  Mr.  Richard  Jones  ;  "  cover  thy,  poll,  or  the  frost 
will  pluck  out  the  remnant  of  thy  locks.  Had  the  hairs 
on  the  head  of  Absalom  been  as  scarce  as  thine,  he  might 
have  been  living  to  this  day."  The  jokes  of  Richard 

J  never  failed  of  exciting  risibility,  for  he  uniformly  did  honor 
to  his  own  wit ;  arid  he  enjoyed  a  hearty  laugh  on  the  pres 
ent  occasion,  while  Mr.  Le  Quoi  resumed  his  seat  with  a 
polite  reciprocation  in  his  mirth.  The  clergyman,  for  such? 
was  the  office  of  Mr.  Grant,  modestly,  though  quite  affec 
tionately,  exchanged  his  greetings  with  the  travellers  also, 
when  Richard  prepared  to  turn  the  heads  of  his  houses 
homeward. 

It  was  in  the  quarry  alone  that  he  could  effect  tliis  ob 
ject,  without  ascending  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  A 
rery  considerable  excavation  had  been  made  in  the  side  of 
the  hill,  at  the  point  where  Richard  had  succeeded  in  stop 
ping  the  sleighs,  from  which  the  stones  used  for  building  ir> 
the  village  were  ordinarily  quarried,  and  in  which  he  now 
attempted  to  turn  his  team  Passing  itself  was  a  task  of 


THE  PIONEERS.  39 

difficulty,  and  frequently  of  danger,  in  that  narrow  road  ; 
but  Richard  had  to  meet  the  additional  risk  of  turning  his 
four-in-hand.  The  black  civilly  volunteered  his  services  to 
take  off  the  leaders,  and  the  Judge  very  earnestly  seconded 
the  measure  with  his  advice.  Richard  treated  both  pro 
posals  with  great  disdain. 

"  Why,  and  wherefore,  cousin  'Duke  ? "  he  exclaimed,  a 
little  angrily :  "  the  horses  are  gentle  as  lambs.  You  know 
that  I  broke  the  leaders  myself,  and  the  pole-horses  are  too 
near  my  whip  to  be  restive.  Here  is  Mr.  Le  Quoi,  now, 
who  must  know  something  about  driving,  because  he  has 
rode  out  so  often  with  me ;  I  will  leave  it  to  Mr.  Le  Quoi 
whether  there  is  any  danger." 

-  It  was  not  in  the  nature  of  the  Frenchman  to  disappoint 
expectations  so  confidently  formed ;  although  he  sat  looking 
down  the  precipice  which  fronted  him,  as  Richard  turned 
his  leaders  into  the  quarry,  with  a  pair  of  eyes  that  stood 
out  like  those  of  lobsters.  The  German's  muscles  were 
unmoved,  but  his  quick  sight  scanned  each  movement.  Mr. 
Grant  placed  his  hands  on  the  side  of  the  sleigh,  in  prepa 
ration  for  a  spring,  but  moral  timidity  deterred  him  from 
taking  the  leap  that  bodily  apprehension  strongly  urged  him 
to  attempt. 

Richard,  by  a  sudden  application  of  the  whip,  succeeded 
in  forcing  the  leaders  into  the  snow-bank  that  covered  the 
quarry ;  but  the  instant  that  the  impatient  animals  suffered 
by  the  crust,  through  which  they  broke  at  each  step,  they 
positively  refused  to  move  an  inch  further  in  that  direction. 
On  the  contrary,  finding  that  the  cries  and  blows  of  their 
driver  were  redoubled  at  this  juncture,  the  leaders  backed 
upon  the  pole-horses,  who,  in  their  turn,  backed  the  sleigh. 
Only  a  single  log  lay  above  the  pile  which  upheld  the  road, 
on  the  side  towards  the  valley,  and  this  was  now  buried  in 
the  snow.  The  sleigh  was  easily  forced  across  so  slight  an 
impediment;  and  before  Richard  became  conscious  of  hia 
danger,  one  half  of  the  vehicle  was  projected  over  a  preci 
pice,  which  fell,  perpendicularly,  more  than  a  hundred  feet. 
The  Frenchman,  who,  by  his  position,  had  a  full  view  of 
;beir  threatened  flight,  instinctively  threw  Ins  body  as  fat 


40  THE  PIONEEES. 

forward  as  possible,  and  cried,  "  Ah !  mon  cher  Monsieni 
Deeck !  mon  Dieu  !  que  faites  vous  ! " 

"  Doimer  and  blitzen,  Richart,"  exclaimed  the  veteran 
German,  looking  over  the  side  of  the  sleigh  with  unusua, 
emotion,  "  put  you  will  preak  ter  sleigh  and  kilt  ter  horses." 

"  Good  Mr.  Jones,"  said  the  clergyman,  "  be  prudent, 
good  sir  —  be  careful." 

"  Get  up,  obstinate  devils ! "  cried  Richard,  catching  a 
bird's-eye  view  of  his  situation,  and,  in  his  eagerness  to 
move  forward,  kicking  the  stool  on  which  he  sat,  u  Get  up, 
I  say ;  cousin  'Duke,  I  shall  have  to  sell  the  grays  too ; 
they  are  the  worst  broken  horses  ;  Mr.  Le  Quaw  !  " —  Richard 
was  too  much  agitated  to  regard  his  pronunciation,  of  which 
he  was  commonly  a  little  vain  —  "  Monsieur  Le  Quaw,  pray 
get  off  my  leg;  you  hold  my  leg  so  tight,  that  it's  no 
wonder  the  horses  back." 

*  "  Merciful   Providence  !  "   exclaimed  the   Judge,  "  they 
will  be  all  killed!" 

Eli/abeth  gave  a  piercing  shriek,  and  the  black  of  Aga 
memnon's  face  changed  to  a  muddy  white. 

At  this  critical  moment,  the  young  hunter,  who,  during 
the  salutations  of  the  parties,  had  sat  in  rather  sullen  silence, 
sprang  from  the  sleigh  of  Marmaduke  to  the  heads  of  the 
refractory  leaders.  The  horses,  who  were  yet  suffering 
under  the  injudicious  and  somewhat  random  blows  of  Rich 
ard,  were  dancing  up  and  down  with  that  ominous  move 
ment  that  threatens  a  sudden  and  uncontrollable  start,  still 
pressing  backwards.  The  youth  gave  the  leaders  a  power-  * 
fill  jerk,  and  they  plunged  aside,  and  reentered  the  road  in 
Ihe  position  in  which  they  were  first  halted.  The  sleigh 
was  whirled  from  its  dangerous  position,  and  upset  with  the 
runners  outwards.  The  German  and  the  divine  were 
thrown,  rather  unceremoniously,  into  the  highway,  but 
without  danger  to  their  bones.  Richard  appeared  in  the 
Air,  describing  the  segment  of  a  circle  of  which  the  reins 
were  the  radii,  and  landed  at  the  distance  of  some  fifteen 
feet,  in  that  snow-bank  which  the  horses  had  dreaded,  right 
end  uppermost.  Here,  as  he  instinctively  grasped  the  reins, 
ta  drowning  men  seize  at  straws,  he  admirably  served  tht 


THE  PIONEERS.  41 

purpose  of  an  anchor.  The  Frenchman,  who  was  on  his 
legs  in  the  act  of  springing  from  the  sleigh,  took  an  aerial 
(light  also,  much  in  the  attitude  which  boys  assume  when 
they  play  leap-frog,  and  flying  off  in  a  tangent  to  the  curva 
ture  of  his.  course,  came  into  the  snow-bank  head  foremost, 
where  he  remained,  exhibiting  two  lathy  legs  on  high,  like 
scarecrows  waving  in  a  corn-field.  Major  Hartmann,  whose 
self-possession  had  been  admirably  preserved  during  the 
whole  evolution,  was  the  first  of  the  party  that  gained  his 
feet  and  his  voice. 

"  Ter  dey  vel,  Richart ! "  he  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  half 
serious,  half  comical,  u  put  you  unloat  your  sleigh  very 
hantily." 

It  may  be  doubtful  whether  the  attitude  in  which  Mr. 
Grant  continued  for  an  instant  after  his  overthrow  was  the 
one  into  which  he  had  been  thrown,  or  was  assumed,  in 
humbling  himself  before  the  power  that  he  reverenced,  in 
thanksgiving  at  his  escape.  When  he  rose  from  his  knees, 
he  began  to  gaze  about  him,  with  anxious  looks,  after  the 
welfare  of  his  companions,  while  every  joint  in  his  body 
trembled  with  nervous  agitation.-  There  was  some  confusion 
in  the  faculties  of  Mr.  Jones  also ;  but  as  the  mist  gradually 
cleared  from  before  his  eyes,  he  saw  that  all  was  safe,  and, 
with  an  air  of  great  self-satisfaction,  he  cried,  "  Well !  that 
WB.S  neatly  saved,  anyhow !  it  was  a  lucky  thought  in  me  to 
hold  on  the  reins,  or  the  fiery  devils  would  have  been  over 
the  mountain  by  this  time.  How  well  I  recovered  myself, 
'Duke !  Another  moment  would  have  been  too  late  ;  but  I 
knew  just  the  spot  where  to  touch  the  off-leader  ;  that  blow 
under  his  right  flank,  and  the  sudden  jerk  I  gave  the  rein, 
brought  them  round  quite  in  rule,  I  must  own  myself."  * 

"  Thou  jerk !  thou  recover  thyself,  Dickon  ! "  he  said, 
w  but  for  that  brave  lad  yonder,  thou  and  thy  horses,  or 
rather  mine,  would  have  been  dashed  to  pieces  ;  but  where 
is  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  ?  " 

"  O  !    mon  cher  Juge !  Mon  ami !  "  cried   a   smothered 

*  The  spectators,  from  immemorial  usage,  have  a  right  to  laugh  at  the  ca»- 
calties  of  a  sleigh-ride ;  and  the  Judge  was  no  sooner  certain  that  no  harm  WM 
lone,  than  he  made  full  use  of  the  privilege. 


42  THE  PIONEERS. 

voice,  ft  praise  be  God,  I  live ;  vill  you,  Mister  Agamemnon, 
be  pleas  come  down  ici,  and  help  me  on  my  leg  ?  " 

The  divine  and  the  negro  seized  the  incarcerated  Gaul 
by  his  legs,  and  extricated  him  from  a  snow-bank  of  three 
feet  in  depth,  whence  his  voice  had  sounded  as  from  the 
tombs.  The  thoughts  of  Mr.  Le  Quoi,  immediately  on  his 
liberation,  were  not  extremely  collected ;  and  when  he 
reached  the  light,  he  threw  his  eyes  upwards,  in  order  to 
examine  the  distance  he  had  fallen.  His  good  humor  re 
turned,  however,  with  a  knowledge  of  his  safety,  though 
it  was  some  little  time  before  he  clearly  comprehended  the 
case. 

"  What,  Monsieur,"  said  Richard,  who  was  busily  assist 
ing  the  black  in  taking  off  the  leaders;  "are  you  there?  I 
thought  I  saw  you  flying  towards  the  top  of  the  mountain 
just  now." 

"  Praise  be  God,  I  no  fly  down  into  the  lake,"  returned 
the  Frenchman,  with  a  visage  that  was  divided  between 
pain,  occasioned  by  a  few  large  scratches  that  he  had  re 
ceived  in  forcing  his  head  through  the  crust,  and  the  look 
of  complaisance  that  seemed  natural  to  his  pliable  features  : 
"  ah  !  mori  cher  Mister  Deeck,  vat  you  do  next  ?  dere  be 
noting  you  no  try." 

"  The  next  thing,  I  trust,  will  be  to  learn  to  drive,"  said 
the  Judge,  who  had  busied  himself  in  throwing  the  buck,  to 
gether  with  several  other  articles  of  baggage,  from  his  own 
sleigh  into  the  snow  ;  "  here  are  seats  for  you  all,  gentlemen  ; 
the  evening  grows  piercingly  cold,  and  the  hour  approaches 
for  the  service  of  Mr.  Grant :  we  will  leave  friend  Jones  to 
repair  the  damages,  with  the  assistance  of  Agamemnon,  and 
hasten  to  a  warm  fire.  Here,  Dickon,  are  a  few  articles  of 
Bess's  trumpery,  that  you  can  throw  into  your  sleigh  w.ben 
.  eady  ;  and  there  is  also  a  deer  of  my  taking,  that  I  will 
thank  you  to  bring.  Aggy  !  remember  that  there  will  be  a 
visit  from  Santa  Claus  1  to-night." 

-  The  periodical  visits  of  St.  Nicholas,  or  Santa  Claus  as  he  is  termed,  werv 
never  forgotten  among  the  inhabitants  of  New  York,  until  the  emigration  from 
New  England  brought  in  the  opinions  and  usages  of  the  Puritans.  Like  tht 
*bon  homme  de  Noel,"  he  arrives  at  each  Christmas. 


THE  PIONEERS.  43 

The  black  grinned,  conscious  of  the  bribe  that  -sras  offered 
him  for  silence  on  the  subject  of  the  deer,  while  Richard, 
without  in  the  least  waiting  for  the  termination  of  his  cous 
in's  speech,  began  his  reply :  — 

"  Learn  to  drive,  sayest  thou,  cousin  'Duke  ?  Is  there  a 
man  in  the  county  who  knows  more  of  horse-flesh  than  my 
self  ?  Who  broke  in  the  filly,  that  no  one  else  dare  mount ; 
though  your  coachman  did  pretend  that  he  had  tamed  her 
before  I  took  her  in  hand ;  but  anybody  could  see  that  he 
lied ;  he  was  a  great  liar,  that  John  —  what's  that,  a  buck  ?  * 
Richard  abandoned  the  horses,  and  ran  to  the  spot  where 
Marmaduke  had  thrown  the  deer.  "  It  is  a  buck !  I  am 
imazed !  Yes,  here  are  two  holes  in  him ;  he  ha*  fired  both 
barrels,  and  hit  him  each  time.  Ecod!  how  Marmaduke 
will  brag!  he  is  a  prodigious  bragger  about  any  small  mat 
ter  like  this  now  ;  well,  to  think  that  'Duke  has  killed  a 
buck  before  Christmas !  There  will  be  no  such  thing  as 
living  with  him ;  they  are  both  bad  shots  though,  mere 
chance  —  mere  chance ;  now,  I  never  fired  twice  at  a 
^oven  foot  in  my  life ;  it  is  hit  or  miss  with  me  —  dead  or 
run  away :  had  it  been  a  bear,  or  a  wild-cat,  a  man  might 
have  wanted  both  barrels.  Here  !  you  Aggy  !  how  far  off' 
was  the  Judge  when  this  buck  was  shot  ?  " 

"  Eh !  Massa  Richard,  may  be  a  ten  rod,"  cried  tho 
black,  bending  under  one  of  the  horses,  with  the  pretense 
of  fastening  a  buckle,  but  in  reality  to  conceal  the  grin  that 
opened  a  mouth  from  ear  to  ear. 

"  Ten  rod  ! "  echoed  the  other ;  "  why,  Aggy,  the  deer  I 
killed  last  winter  was  at  twenty ;  yes !  if  anything  it  was 
nearer  thirty  than  twenty.  I  wouldn't  shoot  at  a  deor  at 
ten  rod:  besides,  you  may  remember,  Aggy,  I  only  fired 
once." 

"  Yes,  Massa  Richard,  I  'member  'em !  Natty  Bumppo 
ire  t'oder  gun.  You  know,  sir,  all  'e  folk  say  Natty  kill 
him." 

"  The  folks  lie,  you  black  devil ! "  exclaimed  Richard  in 
great  heat.  "  I  have  not  shot  even  a  gray  squirrel  these  four 
years,  to  which  that  old  rascal  has  not  laid  claim,  or  some 
ono  else  for  him.  This  is  a  damned  envious  world  that  wt 


44  THE  PIONEERS. 

live  in  ;  people  are  always  for  dividing  the  credit  of  a  thing, 
in  order  to  bring  down  merit  to  their  own  level.  Now  they 
have  a  story  about  the  Patent,1  that  Hiram  Doolittle  helped 
to  plan  the  steeple  to  St.  Paul's ;  when  Hiram  knows  that  it 
is  entirely  mine ;  a  little  taken  from  a  print  of  its  namesaka 
in  London,  I  own ;  but  essentially,  as  to  all  points  of  ge  n 
ius,  my  own." 

"I  don't  know  where  he  come  from,"  said  the  black, 
losing  every  mark  of  humor  in  an  expression  of  admiration, 
"but  eb'rybody  say  he  wonnerful  hansome." 

"  And  well  they  may  say  so,  Aggy,"  cried  Richard,  leaving 
the  buck  and  walking  up  to  the  negro  with  the  air  of  a  man 
who  has  new  interest  awakened  within  him.  "  I  think  1 
may  say,  without  bragging,  that  it  is  the  handsomest  and 
the  most  scientific  country  church  in  America.  I  know  that 
the  Connecticut  settlers  talk  about  their  Wethersfield  meet 
ing-house  ;  but  I  never  believe  more  than  half  what  they 
say,  they  are  such  unconscionable  braggers.  Just  as  you 
have  got  a  thing  done,  if  they  see  it  likely  to  be  successful, 
they  are  always  for  interfering ;  and  then  it'fl  ten  to  one  but 
they  lay  claim  to  half,  or  even  all  of  the  credit.  •  You  may 
remember,  Aggy,  when  I  painted  the  sign  of  the  "  Bold  Dra 
goon  "  for  Captain  Hollister,  there  was  that  fellow,  who  was 
about  town  laying  brick  dust  on  the  houses,  came  one  day 
and  offered  to  mix  what  I  call  the  streaky  black,  for  the 
tail  and  mane,  and  then,  because  it  looks  like  horse  hair, 
he  tells  everybody  that  the  sign  was  painted  by  himself  and 
Squire  Jones.  If  Marmaduke  don't  send  that  fellow  off  the 
Patent,  he  may  ornament  his  village  with  his  own  hands 
for  me."  Here  Richard  paused  a  moment,  and  cleared  his 
\hroat  by  a  loud  hem,  while  the  negro,  who  was  all  this 
tims  busily  engaged  in  preparing  the  sleigh,  proceeded  with 
bis  work  in  respectful  silence.  Owing  to  the  religious  scru 
ples  of  the  Judge,  Aggy  was  the  servant  of  Richard,  who 
«• 

1  The  grants  of  land,  made  either  by  the  Crown  or  the  State,  were  by  letters 
latent  under  the  great  seal,  and  the  term  "  patent "  is  usually  applied  to  any 
district  of  eiteut,  thus  conceded  ;  though  under  the  Crown,  manorial  righti 
being  often  granted  with  the  soil,  in  the  older  counties,  the  word  "  manor  " 
la  frequently  used.  There  are  many  "manors  "'in  New  York,  though  all 
political  and  judicial  rights  have  ceased. 


THE   PIONEERS.  45 

had  his  services  for  a  time,1'  and  who,  of  course,  commanded 
a  legal  claim  to  the  respect  of  the  young  negro.  But  when 
any  dispute  between  his  lawful  and  his  real  master  occurred, 
the  black  felt  too  much  deference  for  both  to  express  any 
opinion.  In  the  mean  while,  Richard  continued  watching 
the  negro  as  he  fastened  buckle  after  buckle,  until,  stealing 
a  look  of  consciousness  towards  the  other,  he  continued, 
"  Now,  if  that  young  man  who  was  in  your  sleigh,  is  a  real 
Connecticut  settler,  he  will  be  telling  everybody  how  he 
saved  my  horses,  when,  if  he  had  let  them  alone  for  half  a 
minute  longer,  I  would  have  brought  them  in  much  better, 
without  upsetting,  with  the  whip  and  rein  —  it  spoils  a 
horse  to  give  him  his  head.  I  should  not  wonder  if  I  had 
to  sell  the  whole  team,  just  for  that  one  jerk  he  gave  them." 
Richard  paused,  and  hemmed ;  for  his  conscience  smote  him 
a  little,  for  censuring  a  man  who  had  just  saved  his  life. 
u  Who  is  the  lad,  Aggy  ?  I  don't  remember  to  have  seen 
him  before." 

The  black  recollected  the  hint  about  Santa  Glaus;  and 
while  he  briefly  explained  how  they  had  taken  up  the  per 
son  in  question  on  the  top  of  the  mountain,  he  forbore  to 
add  anything  concerning  the  accident  of  the  wound,  only 
saying  that  he  believed  the  youth  was  a  stranger.  It  was 
so  usual  for  men  of  the  first  rank  to  take  into  their  sleighs 
any  one  they  found  toiling  through  the  snow,  that  Richard 
tfas  perfectly  satisfied  with  this  explanation.  lie  heard 
Aggy  with  great  attention,  and  then  remarked,  "  Well,  if 
the  lad  has  not  been  spoiled  by  the  people  in  Templeton, 
he  may  be  a  modest  young  man,  and  as  he  certainly  meant 
well,  I  shall  take  some  notice  of  him  ;  perhaps  he  is  land- 
hunting  —  I  say,  Aggy,  may  be  he  is  out  hunting  ?  " 

1  The  manumission  of  the  slaves  in  New  York  has  been^gcadual.  "Whet 
public  opinion  became  strong  in  their  favor,  there  grew  up  a  custom  of  buying 
Mie  sen-ices  of  a  slave,  for  six  or  eight  years,  with  a  condition  to  liberate  kinc 
at  the  end  of  the  period.  Then  the  law  provided  that  siu  born  after  a  ccrtait 
day  should  be  free,  the  males  at  twenty-eight,  and  the  females  at  twenty-five. 
After  this  the  owner  was  obliged  to  cause  his  servants  to  be  taught  to  read  aud 
write  before  they  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  and,  finally,  the  few  that  re 
mained  were  all  unconditionally  lioerated  in  1826,  or  after  the  publication  of 
tnia  tale.  It  was  quite  usual  for  men  more  01  less  connected  with  th»  Qtuk 
n,  who  never  fold  slaves,  to  adopt  the  first  expedient 


46  THE   PIONEERS. 

**  Eh  !  yes,  Massa  Richard,"  said  the  black,  a  little  cou 
fused ;  for  as  Richard  did  all  the  flogging,  he  stood  in  great 
terror  of  his  master,  in  the  main :  "  yes,  sir,  I  b'lieve  he 
be." 

"  Had  he  a  pack  and  an  axe  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  only  he  rifle." 

"  Rifle  ! "  exclaimed  Richard,  observing  the  confusion  oi 
the  negro,  whbh  now  amounted  to  terror.  "  By  Jove,  ht 
killed  the  deer !  I  knew  that  Marmaduke  couldn't  kill  a 
buck  on  the  jump  ;  how  was  it,  Aggy  ?  tell  me  all  about  it, 
and  I'll  roast  'Duke  quicker  than  he  can  roast  his  saddle  — 
how  was  it,  Aggy  ?  the  lad  shot  the  buck,  and  the  Judge 
bought  it,  ha !  and  he  is  taking  the  youth  down  to  get  the 
pay?" 

The  pleasure  of  this  discovery  had  put  Richard  in  such 
a  good  humor,  that  the  negro's  fears  in  some  measure 
vanished,  and  he  remembered  the  stocking  of  Santa  Glaus. 
After  a  gulp  or  two,  he  made  out  to  reply  :  — 

"  You  forgit  a  two  shot,  sir  ?  " 

"  Don't  lie,  you  black  rascal ! "  cried  Richard,  stepping 
on  the  snow-bank  to  measure  the  distance  from  his  lash  to 
the  negro's  back  ;  "  speak  truth,  or  I  trounce  you."  While 
speaking,  the  stock  was  slowly  rising  in  Richard's  right 
hand,  and  the  lash  drawing  through  his  left,  in  the  scientific 
manner  with  which  drummers  apply  the  cat ;  and  Agamem 
non,  after  turning  each  side  of  himself  towards  his  master, 
and  finding  both  equally  unwilling  to  remain  there,  fairly 
gave  in.  In  a  very  few  words  he  made  his  master  ac 
quainted  with  the  truth,  at  the  same  time  earnestly  con 
juring  Richard  to  protect  him  from  the  displeasure  of  the 
Judge. 

"  I'll  do  it,  boy,  I'll  do  it,"  cried  the  other,  rubbing  his 
han*ds  with  delight ;  "  say  notlung,  but  leave  me  to  mamiii(j 
'Duke:  I  have  a  great  mind  to  leave  the  deer  on  the  hill 
and  to  make  the  fellow  send  for  his  own  carcass :  but  no,  1 
will  let  Marmaduke  tell  a  few  bounces  about  it  before  I 
come  out  upon  him.  Come,  hurry  in,  Aggy,  I  must  help 
to  dress  the  lad's  wound :  this  Yankee  1  doctor  knows  noth- 

1  In  America  the  term  Yankee  U  of  local  meaning.     It  is  though  to  U 


THE   PIONEERS.  47 

ing  of  surgery  —  I  had  to  hold  old  Milligan's  leg  for  him, 
while  he  cut  it  off."  Richard  was  now  seated  on  the  stool 
again,  and  the  black  taking  the  hind  seat,  the  steeds  were 
put  in  motion  towards  home.  As  they  dashed  down  the  hill, 
on  a  fast  trot,  the  driver  occasionally  turned  his  face  to  Aggy, 
and  continued  speaking ;  for  notwithstanding  their  recent 
re,  the  most  perfect  cordiality  was  again  existing  be 
tween  them.  "  This  goes  to  prove  that  I  turned  the  horses 
with  the  reins,  for  no  man  who  is  shot  in  the  right  shoulder 
can  have  strength  enough  to  bring  round  such  obstinato 
devils.  I  knew  I  did  it  from  the  first ;  but  I  did  not  want  to 
multiply  words  with  Marmaduke  about  it.  Will  you  bite, 
you  villain  ?  —  hip,  boys,  hip !  Old  Natty  too,  that  is  the 
best  of  it !  Well,  well,  'Duke  will  say  no  more  about  my 
deer ;  and  the  Judge  fired  both  barrels,  and  hit  nothing 
but  a  poor  lad,  who  was  behind  a  pine  tree.  I  must  help 
that  quack  to  take  out  the  buck-shot  for  the  poor  fellow/; 
In  this  manner  Richard  descended  the  mountain ;  the  bells 
ringing,  and  his  tongue  going,  until  they  entered  the  village, 
when  the  whole  attention  of  the  driver  was  devoted  to  a 
display  of  his  horsemanship,  to  the  admiration  of  all  the 
gaping  women  and  children  who  thronged  the  windows  to 
witness  the  arrival  of  their  landlord  and  his  daughter. 

derived  from  the  manner  in  which  the  Indians  of  New  England  pronounced 
the  word  »  English  "  or  "  Yengeese."  New  York  being  originally  a  Dutch 
province,  the  term  of  course  was  not  known  there,  and  further  south  different 
dialects  among  the  natives  themselves,  probably  produced  a  different  prontui- 
nation.  Marmaduke  and  his  cousin  being  Pennsylvania's  by  birth,  wen  not 
Yankees  in  the  American  sense  of  the  word  • 


48  THE  PIONEERS 


CHAPTER  V. 

Nathaniel's  coat,  sir,  was  not  fully  made, 

And  Gabriel's  pumps  were  all  unpink'd  i'  th'  heel; 

There  was  no  link  to  color  Peter's  hat, 

And  Walter's  dagger  was  not  come  from  sheathing; 

There  were  none  fine,  but  Adam,  Ralph,  and  Gregory. 

SlIAKESPEABK. 

AFTER  winding  along  the  side  of  the  mountain,  the  road, 
on  reaching  the  gentle  declivity  which  lay  at  the  base  of 
the  hill,  turned  at  a  right  angle  to  its  former  course,  and 
ghot  down  an  inclined  plane,  directly  into  the  village  of 
Templeton.  The  rapid  little  stream  that  we  have  already 
mentioned,  was  crossed  by  a  bridge  of  hewn  timber,  which 
manifested,  by  its  rude  construction,  ^nd  the  unnecessary 
size  of  its  framework,  both  the  value  of  labor  and  the  abun 
dance  of  materials.  This  little  torrent,  whose  dark  waters 
gushed  over  the  limestones  that  lined  its  bottom,  was  noth 
ing  less  than  one  of  the  many  sources  of  the  Susquehanna ; 
a  river  to  which  the  Atlantic  herself  has  extended  an  arm 
in  welcome.  It  was  at  this  point  that  the  powerful  team 
of  Mr.  Jones  brought  him  up  to  the  more  sober  steeds  of 
our  travellers.  A  small  hill  was  risen,  and  Elizabeth  found 
herself  at  once  amidst  the  incongruous  dwellings  of  the 
village.  The  street  was  of  the  ordinary  width,  notwith 
standing  the  eye  might  embrace,  in  one  view,  thousands  and 
tena  of  thousands  of  acres,  that  were  yet  tenanted  only  by 
the  beasts  of  the  forest.  But  such  had  been  the  will  of 
her  father,  and  such  had  also  met  the  wishes  of  his  followers. 
To  them  the  road,  that  made  the  most  rapid  approaches  to 
the  condition  of  the  old,  or,  as  they  expressed  it,  the  down 
countries,  was  the  most  pleasant;  and  surely,  nothing  could 
look  more  like  civilization  than  a  city,  even  if  it  lay  in  a 
wilderness  !  The  width  of  the  street,  for  so  it  was  called 


THE   PIONKERS.  49 

might  have  been  one  hundred  feet ;  but  (he  track  for  the 
sleighs  was  much  more  limited.  On  either  side  of  the  high 
way  were  piled  huge  heaps  of  logs  that  were  daily  increas 
ing  rather  than  diminishing  in  size,  notwithstanding  tlie 
enormous  fires  that  might  be  seen  through  every  window. 

The  last  object  at  which  Elizabeth  gazed  when  they 
renewed  their  journey,  after  the  rencontre  with  Richard,  was 
the  sun,  as  it  expanded  in  the  refraction  of  the  horizon,  and 
over  whose  disk  the  dark  umbrage  of  a  pine  was  stealing, 
while  it  slowly  sank  behind  the  western  hills.  'But  his 
setting  rays  darted  along  the  openings  of  the  mountain  she 
was  on,  and  lighted  the  shining  covering  of  the  birches, 
until  their  smooth  and  glossy  coats  nearly  rivaled  the 
mountain-sides  in  color.  The  outline  of  each  dark  pine 
was  delineated  far  in  the  depths  of  the  forest ;  and  the 
rocks,  too  smooth  and  too  perpendicular  to  retain  the  snow 
that  had  fallen,  brightened,  as  if  smiling  at  the  leave-taking 
of  the  luminary.  But  at  each  step,  as  they  descended, 
Elizabeth  observed  that  they  were  leaving  the  day  behind 
them.  Even  the  heartless  but  bright  rays  of  a  December 
sun  were  missed,  as  they  glided  into  the  cold  gloom  of  the 
valley.  Along  the  summits  of  the  mountains  in  the  eastern 
range,  it  is  true,  the  light  still  lingered,  receding  step  by 
step  from  the  earth  into  the  clouds  that  were  gathering, 
,with  the  evening  mist,  about  the  limited  horizon ;  but  the 
frozen  lake  lay  without  a  shadow  on  its  bosom ;  the  dwell 
ings  were  becoming  already  gloomy  and  indistinct ;  and  the 
wood-cutters  were  shouldering  their  axes,  and  preparing  to 
enjoy,  throughout  the  long  evening  before  them,  the  com 
forts  of  those  exhilarating  fires  that  their  labor  had  been 
supplying  with  fuel.  They  paused  only  to  gaze  at  tho 
passing  sleighs,  to  lift  their  caps  to  Marmaduke,  to  ex 
change  familiar  nods  with  Richard,  and  each  disappeared  in 
his  dwelling.  The  paper  curtains  dropped  behind  cur 
travellers  in  every  window,  shutting  from  the  air  even  the 
Qre-light  of  the  cheerful  apartments  ;  and  when  the  horses 
of  her  father  turned,  with  a*  rapid  whirl,  into  the  open  gate 
of  the  Mansion-house,  and  nothing  stood  before  her  but  tho 
cold,  dreary  stone  walls  of  the  building,  as  she  approached 


50  THE   PIONEERS. 

them  through  an  avenue  of  young  and  leafless 
Elizabeth  felt  as  it  all  the  loveliness  of  the  mount ain- view 
had  vanished  like  the  fancies  of  a  dream.  Marmaduke 
retained  so  much  of  his  early  habits  as  to  reject  the  use  of 
bolls  ;  but  the  equipage  of  Mr.  Jones  came  dashing  through 
the  gate  after  them,  sending  its  jingling  sounds  through 
every  cranny  of  the  building,  and  in  a  moment  the  dwelling 
was  in  an  uproar. 

On  a  stone  platform,  of  rather  small  proportions,  consid 
ering  the  size  of  the  building,  Richard  and  Hiram  had, 
conjointly,  reared  four  little  columns  of  wood,  which  in  their 
turn  supported  the  shingled  roofs  of  the  portico  —  this  was 
the  name  that  Mr.  Jones  had  thought  proper  to  give  to  a 
very  plain,  covered  entrance.  The  ascent  to  the  platform 
was  by  five  or  six  stone  steps,  somewhat  hastily  laid  to 
gether,  and  which  the  frost  had  already  begun  to  move 
from  their  symmetrical  positions.  But  the  evils  of  a  cold 
climate,  and  a  superficial  construction,  did  not  end  here. 
As  the  steps  lowered,  the  platform  necessarily  fell  also,  and 
the  foundations  actually  left  the  superstructure  suspended 
in  the  air,  leaving  an  open  space  of  a  foot  between  the 
base  of  the  pillars  and  the  stones  on  which  they  had 
originally  been  placed..  It  was  lucky  for  the  whole  fabric 
that  the  carpenter,  who  did  the  manual  part  of  the  labor 
had  fastened  the  canopy  of  this  classic  entrance  so  firmly  to 
the  side  of  the  house,  that,  when  the  base  deserted  the 
superstructure  in  the  manner  we  have  described,  and  the 
pillars,  for  the  want  of  a  foundation,  were  no  longer  of 
service  to  support  the  roof,  the  roof  was  able  to  uphold  the 
pillars.  Here  was,  indeed,  an  unfortunate  gap  left  in  the 
ornamental  part  of  Richard's  column ;  but,  like  the  window 
in  Aladdin's  palace,  it  seemed  only  left  in  order  to  -prove 
the  fertility  of  its  master's  resources.  The  composite  order 
again  offered  its  advantages,  and  a  second  edition  of  the 
base  was  given,  as  the  booksellers  say,  with  additions  and 
improvements.  It  was  necessarily  larger,  and  it  was 
properly  ornamented  with  mouldings ;  still,  the  steps  con 
tinued  to  yield,  and,  at  the  moment  when  Elizabeth  re 
turned  to  her  father's  door,  a  few  rough  wedges  were  driven 


THE   PIONEERS.  61 

under  the  pillar  to  keep  them  steady,  and  to  prevent  their 
weight  from  separating  them  from  the  pediment  which  they 
ought  to  have  supported. 

From  the  great  door  which  opened  into  the  porcii 
emerged  two  or  three  female  domestics,  and  one  male. 
The  latter  was  bare-headed,  but  evidently  more  dressed 
than  usual,  and,  on  the  whole,  was  of  so  singular  a  forma 
tion  and  attire,  as  to  deserve  a  more  minute  description. 
He  was  about  five  feet  in  height,  of  a  square  and  athletic 
frame,  with  a  pair  of  shoulders  that  would  have  fitted  a 
grenadier.  His  low  stature  was  rendered  the  more  striking 
by  a  bend  forward  that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  assuming, 
for  no  apparent  reason,  unless  it  might  be  to  give  greater 
freedom  to  his  arms,  in  a  particularly  sweeping  swing,  that 
they  constantly  practiced  when  their  master  was  in  motion. 
His  face  was  long,  of  a  fair  complexion,  burnt  to  a  fiery 
red ;  with  a  snub  nose,  cocked  into  an  inveterate  pug ;  a 
mouth  of  enormous  dimensions,  filled  with  fine  teeth  ;  and  a 
pair  of  blue  eyes  that  seemed  to  look  about  them,  on  sur 
rounding  objects,  with  habitual  contempt.  His  head  com 
posed  full  one  fourth  of  his  whole  length,  and  the  queue 
that  depended  from  its  rear  occupied  another.  He  wore 
a  coat  of  very  light  drab  cloth,  with  buttons  as  large  as 
dollars,  bearing  the  impression  of  a  "  foul  anchor."  The 
skirts  were  extremely  long,  reaching  quite  to  the  calf,  and 
were  broad  in  proportion.  Beneath,  there  were  a  vest  and 
breeches  of  red  plush,  somewhat  worn  and  soiled.  He  had 
shoes  with  large  buckles,  and  stockings  of  blue  and  white 
stripes. 

This  odd-looking  figure  reported  himself  to  be  a  native 
of  the  county  cf  Cornwall,  in  the  island  of  Great  Britain. 
His  boyhood  had  passed  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  tin 
\nines,  and  his  youth  as  the  cabin-boy  of  a  smuggler,  be- 
twoen  Falmouth  and  Guernsey.  From  this  trade  he  had 
been  impressed  into  the  service  of  his  king,  and,  for  the 
want  of  a  better,  had  been  taken  into  the  cabin,  first  as  a 
servant,  and  finally  as  steward  to  the  captain.  Here  he 
acquired  the  art  of  making  chowder,  ^obscouse,  and  one  or 
two  other  sea-dishes,  and,  as  he  was  fond  of  saying,  had  an 


52  THE   PIONEERS, 

opportunity  of  seeing  the  world.  With  the  exception  oi 
one  or  two  out-ports  in  France,  and  an  occasional  visit  to 
Portsmouth,  Plymouth,  and  Deal,  he  had  in  reality  seen  no 
more  of  mankind,  however,  than  if  he  had  been  riding  a 
donkey  in  one  of  his  native  mines.  But,  being  discharged 
from  the  navy  at  the  peace  of  '83,  he  declared  that,  as  he 
had  seen  all  the  civilized  parts  of  the  earth,  he  was  inclined 
to  make  a  trip  to  the  wilds  of  America.  We  will  not  trace 
Tiim  in  his  brief  wanderings,  under  the  influence  of  that 
spirit  of  emigration  that  sometimes  induces  a  dapper 
cockney  to  quit  his  home,  and  lands  him,  before  the  sound 
of  Bow  bells  is  out  of  his  ears,  within  the  roar  of  the 
cataract  of  Niagara  ;  but  shall  onjy  add,  that,  at  a  very 
early  day,  even  before  Elizabeth  had  been  sent  to  school, 
he  had  found  his  way  into  the  family  of  Marmaduke  Tem 
ple,  where,  owing  to  a  combination  of  qualities  that  will  be 
developed  in  the  course  of  the  tale,  he  held,  under  Mr. 
Jones,  the  office  of  major-domo.  The  name  of  this  worthy 
was  Benjamin  Penguillan,  according  to  his  own  pronuncia 
tion;  but,  owing  to  a  marvelous  tale  that  he  was  in  the 
habit  of  relating,  concerning  the  length  of  time  he  had  to 
labor  to  keep  his  ship  from  sinking  after  Rodney's  victory, 
he  had  universally  acquired  the  nickname  of  Ben  Pump. 

By  the  side  of  Benjamin,  and  pressing  forward  as  if  a 
little  jealous  of  her  station,  stood  a  middle-aged  woman, 
dressed  in  calico,  rather  violently  contrasted  in  color  with  a 
tall,  meagre,  shapeless  figure,  sharp  features,  arid  a  some 
what  acute  expression  of  her  physiognomy.  Her  teeth  were 
mostly  gone,  and  what  did  remain  were  of  a  light  yellow. 
The  skin  of  her  nose  was  drawn  tightly  over  the  member, 
to  hang  in  large  wrinkles  in  her  cheeks  and  about  her 
mouth.  She  took  snuff  in  such  quantities,  as  to  create  the 
impression  that  she  owed  the  saffron  of  her  lips  and  the 
adjacent  parts  to  this  circumstance;  but  it  was  the  unvary 
ing  color  of  her  whole  face.  She  presided  over  the  female 
part  of  the  domestic  arrangements,  in  the  capacity  of  house* 
keeper ;  was  a  spinster,  and  bore  the  name  of  Remarkable 
Pettibone.  To  Elizabeth  she  was  an  entire  stranger,  hav 
ing  been  introduced  into  the  family  since  the  death  of  hei 
mother. 


THE  PIONEERS.  6fc 

In  addition  to  these,  were  three  or  four  smboidiuate  men 
ials,  mostly  black,  some  appearing  at  the  principal  door, 
and  some  running  from  the  end  of  the  building,  where 
stood  the  entrance  to  the  cellar-kitchen. 

Besides  these,  there  was  a  general  rush  from  Richard's 
kennel,  accompanied  with  every  canine  tone,  from  the  howl 
of  the  wolf-dog  to  the  petulant  bark  of  the  terrier.  The 
master  received  their  boisterous  salutations  with  a  variety 
of  imitations  from  his  own  throat,  when  the  dogs,  probably 
from  shame  of  being  outdone,  ceased  their  outcry.  One 
stately,  powerful  mastiff,  who  wore  round  his  neck  a  brasa 
collar,  with  "  M.  T."  engraved  in  large  letters  on  the  rim, 
alone  was  silent.  He  walked  majestically  amid  the  confu 
sion,  to  the  side  of  the  Judge,  where,  receiving  a  kind  pat 
or  two,  he  turned  to  Elizabeth,  who  even  stooped  to  kiss 
him,  as  she  called  him  kindly  by  the  name  of  "  Old  Brave." 
The  animal  seemed  to  know  her,  as  she  ascended  the  steps, 
supported  by  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  and  her  father,  in  order  to 
protect  her  from  falling  on  the  ice  with  which  they  were 
covered.  He  looked  wistfully  after  her  figure,  and  when 
the  door  closed  on  the  whole  party,  he  laid  himself  in  a 
kennel  that  was  placed  nigh  by,  as  if  conscious  that  the 
house  contained  something  of  additional  value  to  guard. 

Elizabeth  followed  her  father,  who  paused  a  moment  to 
whisper  a  message  to  one  of  his  domestics,  into  a  large 
hall,  that  was  dimly  lighted  by  two  candles,  placed  in  high, 
old-fashioned,  brass  candlesticks.  The  door  closed,  and  the 
party  were  at  once  removed  from  an  atmosphere  that  was 
nearly  at  zero,  to  one  of  sixty  degrees  above.  In  the  cen 
tre  of  the  hall  stood  an  enormous  stove,  the  sides  of  which 
appeared  to  be  quivering  with  heat ;  from  which  a  large, 
straight  pipe,  leading  through  the  ceiling  above,  carried  off 
i he  smoke.  An  iron  basin,  containing  water,  was  placed  on 
this  furnace,  for  such  only  it  could  be  called,  in  order  to 
preserve  a  proper  humidity  in  the  apartment.  The  room 
was  carpeted,  and  furnished  with  convenient,  substantial 
furniture,  some  of  which  was  brought  from  the  city,  and 
the  remainder  having  been  manufactured  by  the  mechanics 
of  Tcinpleton.  There  was  a  sideboard  of  mahogany,  inlaid 


4  THE  PIONEERS. 

with    ivory,  and  bearing  enormous    handles   of  glittering 
brass,  and  groaning  under  the  piles  of  silver  plate.     Near 
it  stood  a  set  of  prodigious  tables,  made  of  the  wild  cherry, 
to  imitate  the  imported  wood  of  the  sideboard,  but  plain, 
and  without  ornament  of  any  kind.     Opposite  to  these  stood 
a  smaller  table,  formed  from  a  lighter-colored  wood,  through 
the  grains  of  which  the  wavy  lines  of  the  curled  maple  of 
the  mountains  were  beautifully  undulating.     Near  to  this, 
in  a  corner,  stood  a  heavy,  old-fashioned,  brass-faced  clock, 
encased  in  a  high  box,  of  the  dark  hue  of  the  black  walnut 
from  the  sea-shore.     An  enormous  settee,  or  sofa,  covered 
with  light  chintz,  stretched  along  the  walls  for  near  twenty 
feet  on  one  side  of  the  hall ;  and  chairs  of  wood,  painted  a 
light  yellow,  with  black  lines  that  were  drawn  by  no  very 
steady  hand,  were  ranged  opposite,  and  in  the  intervals  be 
tween  the  other  pieces,  of  furniture.     A  Fahrenheit's  ther 
mometer,  in  a  mahogany  case,  and   with   a  barometer  an 
nexed,  was  hung  against  the  wall,  at  some  little  distance 
from  the  stove,  which  Benjamin  consulted,  every  half-hour, 
with  prodigious  exactitude.     Two  small    glass  chandeliers 
were  suspended  at  equal  distances  between  the  stove  and 
the  outer  doors,  one  of  which  opened  at  each  end  of  the 
hall,  and  gilt  lustres  were  affixed  to  the  framework  of  the 
numerous  side  doors  that  led  from  the  apartment.     Some 
little  display  in  architecture  had  been  made  in  constructing 
these  frames  and  casings,  which  were  surmounted  with  pedi 
ments,  that  bore  each  a  little  pedestal  in  its  centre  :  on 
these  pedestals  were  small  busts  in  blacked  plaster  of  Paris. 
The  style  of  the  pedestals,  as  well  as  the  selection  of  the 
busts,  were  all  due  to  the  taste  of  Mr.  Jones.     On  one  stood 
Homer,  a  most  striking  likeness,  Richard  affirmed,  "  as  any 
one  might  see,  for  it  was  blind."     Another  bore  the  image 
of  a  smooth  visaged  gentleman  with  a  pointed  beard,  whom 
he  called  Shakespeare.     A  third    ornament  was    an    urn, 
which  frorc.  its  shape,  Richard  was  accustomed  to  say,  in 
tended  to  represent  itself  as  holding  the  ashes  of  Dido.     A 
fourth  was  certainly  old  Franklin,  in  his  cap  and  spectacles. 
A  fifth  as  surely  bore  the  dignified  composure  of  the  face 
of  Washington.     A  sixth   was  a  nondescript,  representing 


THE   PIONEERS.  66 

M  a  man  with  a  shirt  collar  open,"  to  use  the  language  of 
Richard,  "  with  a  laurel  on  his  head ;  it  was  Julius  Caesar 
or  Dr.  Faustns ;  there  were  good  reasons  for  believing 
either." 

The  walls  were  hung  with  a  dark,  lead-colored  English 
paper  that  represented  Britannia  weeping  over  the  tomb  of 
Wolfe.  The  hero  himself  stood  at  a  little  distance  from 
the  mourning  goddess,  and  at  the  edge  of  the  paper.  Each 
width  contained  the  figure,  with  the  slight  exception  of  one 
arm  of  the  General,  which  ran  over  on  the  next  piece,  so 
that  when  Richard  essayed,  with  his  own  hands,  to  put  to 
gether  this  delicate  outline,  some  difficulties  occurred  that 
prevented  a  nice  conjunction  ;  and  Britannia  had  reason  to 
lament,  in  addition  to  the  loss  of  her  favorite's  life,  num 
berless  cruel  amputations  of  his  right  arm. 

The  luckless  cause  of  these  unnatural  divisions  now  an 
nounced  his  presence  in  the  hall  by  a  loud  crack  of  his 
whip. 

"  Why,  Benjamin !  you  Ben  Pump!  is  this  the  manner  in 
which  you  receive  the  heiress  ?  "  he  cried.  "  Excuse  him, 
cousin  Elizabeth.  The  arrangements  were  too  intricate  to 
be  trusted  to  every  one;  but  now  I  am  here,  things  will  go 
j>n  better.  Come,  light  up,  Mr.  Penguillan,  light  up,  light 
up,  and  let  us  see  one  another's  faces.  Well,  'Duke,  I 
have  brought  home  your  deer ;  what  is  to  be  done  with  it, 
ha?" 

u  By  the  Lord,  Squire,"  commenced  Benjamin  in  reply, 
first  giving  his  mouth  a  wipe  with  the  back  of  his  hand, 
"  if  this  here  thing  had  been  ordered  sum'at  earlier  in  the 
day,  it  might  have  been  got  up,  d'ye  see,  to  your  liking,  I 
had  mustered  all  hands,  and  was  exercising  candles,  when 
you  hove  in  sight;  but  when  the  women  heard  your 
bells  they  started  an  end,  as  if  they  were  riding  the  boat 
swain's  colt ;  and,  if-so-be  there  is  that  man  in  the  house, 
who  can  bring  up  a  parcel  of  women  when  they  have  got 
headway  on  them,  until  they've  run  out  the  end  of  their 
rope,  his  name  is  not  Benjamin  Pump.  But  Miss  Betsey 
hero  must  have  altered  more  than  a  privateer  in  disguise, 
iinco  she  has  got  on  her  woman's  duds,  if  she  will  takf 


vx^6 


THE  PIONEERS. 


offense  with  an  old  fellow  for  the  small  matter  of  lighting  a 
few  candles." 

Elizabeth  and  her  father  continued  silent,  for  both  expe 
rienced  the  same  sensation  on  entering  the  hall.  The 
former  had  resided  one  year  in  the  building  before  she  left 
home  for  school,  and  the  figure  of  its  lamented  mistress  was 
missed  by  both  husband  and  child. 

But  candles  had  been  placed  in  the  chandeliers  and  lus- 
tres,  and  the  attendants  were  so  far  recovered  from  surprise 
as  to  recollect  their  use ;  the  oversight  was  immediately 
remedied,  and  in  a  minute  the  apartment  was  in  a  blaze  of 
light 

The  slight  melancholy  of  our  heroine  and  her  father  was 
banished  by  this  brilliant  interruption ;  and  the  whole 
party  began  to  lay  aside  the  numberless  garments  they  had 
worn  in  the  air. 

During  this  operation,  Richard  kept  up  a  desultory  dia 
logue  with  the  different  domestics,  occasionally  throwing 
out  a  remark  to  the  Judge  concerning  the  deer ;  but  as  his 
conversation  at  such  moments  was  much  like  an  accompani 
ment  on  a  piano,  a  thing  that  is  heard  without  being  at 
tended  to,  we  will  not  undertake  the  task  of  recording  his 
diffuse  discourse. 

The  instant  that  Remarkable  Pettibone  had  executed  her 
portion  of  the  labor  in  illuminating,  she  returned  to  a  posi 
tion  near  Elizabeth,  with  the  apparent  motive  of  receiving 
the  clothes  that  the  other  threw  aside,  but  in  reality  to  ex 
amine,  with  an  air  of  curiosity,  not  unmixed  with  jealousy, 
the  appearance  of  the  lady  who -was  to  supplant  her  in  the 
administration  of  their  domestic  economy.  The  house 
keeper  felt  a  little  appalled,  when,  after  cloaks,  coats, 
shawls,  and  socks  had  been  taken  off  in  succession,  the 
.arge  black  hood  was  removed,  and  the  dark  ringlets,  shin 
ing  like  the  raven's  wing,  fell  from  her  head,  and  left  the 
sweet  but  commanding  features  of  the  young  lady  exposed 
to  view.  Nothing  could  be  fairer  and  more  spotless  tnan 
the  forehead  of  Elizabeth,  and  preserve  the  appearance  of 
life  and  health.  Her  nose  would  have  been  called -Grecian, 
but  for  a  softly  rounded  swell,  that  gave  in  character  to  thfl 


THE  PIONEERS.  b7 

feature  what  it  lost  in  beauty.  Her  mouth,  at  first  sight, 
Beemed  only  made  for  love  ;  but  the  instant  that  its  mus 
cles  moved,  every  expression  that  womanly  dignity  could 
utter  played  around  it  with  the  flexibility  of  female  grace. 
It  spoke  not  only  to  the  ear  but  to  the  eye.  So  much, 
added  to  a  form  of  exquisite  proportions,  rather  full  and 
rounded  for  her  years,  and  of  the  tallest  medium  height, 
she  inherited  from  her  mother.  Even  the  color  of  her  eye. 
the  arched  brows,  and  the  long  silken  lashes,  came  from  the 
same  source ;  but  its  expression  was  her  lather's.  Inert 
and  composed,  it  was  soft,  benevolent,  and  attractive ;  but 
it  could  be  roused,  and  that  without  much  difficulty.  At 
such  moments  it  was  still  beautiful,  though  it  was  a  little 
severe.  As  the  last  shawl  fell  aside,  and  she  stood  dressed 
in  a  rich  blue  riding-habit,  that  fitted  her  form  with  the 
nicest  exactness ;  her  cheeks  burning  with  roses,  that 
bloomed  the  richer  for  the  heat  of  the  hall,  and  her  eyes 
slightly  suffused  with  moisture  that  rendered  their  ordinary 
beauty  more  dazzling,  and  with  every  feature  of  her  speak 
ing  countenance  illuminated  by  the  lights  that  flared  around 
her,  Remarkable  felt  that  her  own  power  had  ended. 

The  business  of  unrobing  had  been  simultaneous.  Mar- 
maduke  appeared  in  a  suit  of  plain  neat  black ;  Monsieur 
Le  Quoi,  in  a  coat  of  snuff  color,  covering  a  vest  of  em 
broidery,  with  breeches,  and  silk  stockings,  and  buckles  — 
that  were  commonly  thought  to  be  of  paste.  Major  Hart- 
mann  wore  a  coat  of  sky-blue,  with  large  brass  buttons,  a 
club-wig,  and  boots ;  and  Mr.  Richard  Jones  had  set  off  his 
dapper  little  form  in  a  frock  of  bottle-green,  with  bullet- 
buttons,  by  one  of  which  the  sides  were  united  over  his 
well-rounded  waist,  opening  above,  so  as  to  show  a  jacket  of 
red  cloth,  with  an  uuder-vest  of  flannel,  faced  with  green 
velvet,  and  below,  so  as  to  exhibit  a  pair  of  buckskin 
breeches,  with  long,  soiled,  white  top-boots,  and  spurs ;  one 
of  the  latter  a  little  bent,  from  its  recent  attacks  on  the 
stool. 

When  the  young  lady  had  extricated  herself  from  her 
garments,  she  was  at  liberty  to  gaze  about  her,  and  to  ex 
amine  not  only  the  household  over  which  she  was  to  preside, 


58  THK   HONKERS. 

but  also  *ne  air  .\nd  manner  in  which  their  domestic  arrange 
ments.  <vere  conducted.  Although  there  was  much  incon 
gruity  in  the  furniture  and  appearance  of  the  hall,  there 
was  nothing  mean.  The  floor  was  carpeted,  even  in  its  re 
motest  corners.  The  brass  candlesticks,  the  gilt  lustres, 
and  the  glass  chandeliers,  whatever  might  be  their  keeping 
as  to  propriety  and  taste,  were  admirably  kept  as  to  all  the 
purposes  of  use  and  comfort.  They  were  clean  and  glitter 
ing  in  the  strong  light  of  the  apartment.  Compared  with 
the  chill  aspect  of  the  December  night  without,  the  warmth 
and  brilliancy  of  the  apartment  produced  an  effect  that  was 
not  unlike  enchantment.  Her  eye  had  not  time  to  detect 
in  detail  the  little  errors,  which,  in  truth,  existed,  but  was 
glancing  around  her  in  delight,  when  an  object  arrested  her 
view,  that  was  in  strong  contrast  to  the  smiling  faces  and 
neatly  attired  personages  who  had  thus  assembled  to  do 
honor  to  the  heiress  of  Templeton. 

In  a  corner  of  the  hall  near  the  grand  entrance,  stood 
the  young  hunter,  unnoticed,  and  for  the  moment  apparently 
forgotten.  But  even  the  forgetful  ness  of  the  Judge,  which, 
under  the  influence  of  strong  emotion,  had  banished  the  rec 
ollection  of  the  wound  of  this  stranger,  seemed  surpassed 
by  the  absence  of  mind  in  the  youth  himself.  On  entering 
the  apartment  he  had  mechanically  lifted  his  cap,  and  ex 
posed  a  head  covered  with  hair  that  rivalled  in  color  and 
gloss,  the  locks  of  Elizabeth.  Nothing  could  have  wrought 
a  greater  transformation  than  the  single  act  of  removing 
the  rough  foxskin  cap.  If  there  was  much  that  was  pre 
possessing  in  the  countenance  of  the  young  hunter,  there 
was  something  even  noble  in  the  rounded  outlines  of  his 
head  and  brow.  The  very  air  and  manner  with  which  the 
member  haughtily  maintained  itself  over  the  coarse  and 
even  wild  attire  in  which  the  rest  of  his  frame  was  clad,  be 
spoke  not  only  familiarity  with  a  splendor  that  in  those  new 
settlements  was  thought  to  be  unequaled,  but  something 
very  like  contempt  also. 

The  hand  that  held  the  cap  rested  lightly  on  the  littl« 
vory-mounted  piano  of  Elizabeth,  with  neither  rustic  re 
straint  nor  obtrusive  vulgarity.  A  single  finger  touched 


THE   PIONEERS.  59 

the  instrument,  as  if  accustomed  to  dwell  on  such  places. 
His  other  arm  was  extended  to  its  utmost  length,  and  the 
hand  grasped  the  barrel  of  his  long  rifle  with  something 
like  convulsive  energy.  The  act  and  the  attitude  were  both 
involuntary,  and  evidently  proceeded  from  a  feeling  much 
deeper  than  that  of  vulgar  surprise.  His  appearance,  con 
nected  as  it  was  with  the  rough  exterior  of  his  dress,  ren 
dered  him  entirely  distinct  from  the  busy  group  that  were 
moving  across  the  other  end  of  the  long  hall,  occupied  in 
receiving  the  travellers,  and  exchanging  their  welcomes; 
and  Elizabeth  continued  to  gaze  at  him  in  wonder.  The 
contraction  of  the  stranger's  brows  increased  as  his  eyes 
moved  slowly  from  one  object  to  another.  For  moments 
the  expression  of  his  countenance  was  fierce,  and  then  again 
it  seemed  to  pass  away  in  some  painful  emotion.  The  arm 
that  was  extended  bent,  and  brought  the  hand  nigh  to  hia 
face,  when  his  head  dropped'  upon  it,  and  concealed  the 
wonderfully  speaking  lineaments. 

"We  forget,  dear  sir,  the  strange  gentleman" — for  her 
life  Elizabeth  could  not  call  him  otherwise  — "  whom  we 
have  brought  here  for  assistance,  and  to  whom  we  owe  every 
attention." 

All  eyes  were  instantly  turned  in  the  direction  of  thoso 
of  the  speaker,  and  the  youth  rather  proudly  elevated  hia 
head  again,  while  he  answered, — 

"  My  wound  is  trifling,  and  I  believe  that  Judge  Temple 
sent  for  a  physician  the  moment  we  arrived." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Marmaduke  ;  "  I  have  not  forgotten 
the  object  of  thy  visit,  young  man,  nor  the  nature  of  my 
debt." 

"  0  !  "  exclaimed  Richard,  with  something  of  a  waggish 
leer,  "  thou  owest  the  lad  for  the  venison,  I  suppo&e,  that 
thou  killed,  cousin  'Duke!  Marmaduke!  Marmaduke! 
That  was  a  marvelous  tale  of  thine  about  the  buck !  Here, 
young  man,  arc  two  dollars  for  the  deer,  and  Judge  Temple 
can  do  no  less  than  pay  the  doctor.  I  shall  charge  you 
nothing  for  my  services,  but  you  shall  not  fare  the  worso 
for  that.  Come,  come,  'Duke,  don't  be  down-hearted  abouj 
It :  if  you  missed  the  buck,  you  contrived  to  shoot  this  poof 


60  THE  PIONP^-RS. 

fellow  through  a  pine  tree.  Now  I  own  that  y6u  have  beat 
me  ;  I  never  did  such  a  thing  in  all  ray  life." 

"  And  I  hope  never  will,"  returned  the  Judge,  "  if  you 
are  to  experience  the  uneasiness  that  I  have  suffered.  Bat 
be  of  good  cheer,  my  young  friend,  the  injury  must  be 
email,  as  thou  movest  thy  arm  with  apparent  freedom." 

"  Don't  make  the  matter  worse,  'Duke,  by  pretending  to 
talk  about  surgery,"  interrupted  Mr.  Jones,  with  a  con 
temptuous  wave  of  the  hand ;  "  it  is  a  science  that  can  only 
bo  learnt  by  practice.  You  know  that  my  grandfather  was 
a  doctor,  but  you  haven't  got  a  drop  of  medical  blood  in 
your  veins.  These  kind  of  things  run  in  families.  All  my 
family  by  the  father's  side  had  a  knack  at  physic.  There 
was  my  uncle  that  was  killed  at  Brandy  wine,  —  he  died  as 
easy  again  as  any  other  man  in  the  regiment,  just  from 
knowing  how  to  hold  his  breath  naturally.  Few  men 
know  how  to  breathe  naturally." 

"  I  doubt  not,  Dickon,"  returned  the  Judge,  meeting  the 
bright  smile  which,  in  spite  of  himself,  stole  over  the 
stranger's  features,  "  that  thy  family  thoroughly  understood 
the  art  of  letting  life  slip  through  their  fingers." 

Richard  heard  him  quite  coolly,  and  putting  a  hand  in 
either  pocket  of  his  surtout,  so  as  to  press  forward  the  skirts, 
began  to  whistle  a  tune  ;  but  the  desire  to  reply  overcame 
his  philosophy,  and  with  great  heat  he  exclaimed :  — 

"  You  may  affect  to  smile,  Judge  Temple,  at  hereditary 
virtues,  if  you  please  :  but  there  is  not  a  man  on  your 
Patent  who  don't  know  better.  Here,  even  this  young 
man,  who  has  never  seen  anything  but  bears,  and  deer,  and 
woodchucks,  knows  better  than  to  believe  virtues  are  not 
transmitted  in  families.  Don't  you,  friend  ?  " 

"  I  believe  that  vice  is  not,"  said  the  stranger  abruptly, 
his  eye  glancing  from  the  father  to  the  daughter. 

"  The  Squire  is  right,  Judge,"  observed  Benjamin,  w  ith 
a  knowing  nod  of  his  head  towards  Richard,  that  bespoke 
the  cordiality  between  them.  "  Now,  in  the  old  country, 
the  king's  Majesty  touches  for  the  evil,  and  that  is  a  dis 
order  that  the  greatest  doctor  in  the  fleet,  or,  for  the  matte? 
of  tliat,  admiral  either,  can't  cure  ;  only  the  king's  Majestv 


THE  P10NEEKS.  81 

ar  a  man  that's  been  hanged.  Yes,  the  Squire  is  right  for 
if  so  be  that  he  wasn't,  how  is  it  that  the  seventh  son 
always  is  a  doctor,  whether  he  ships  for  the  cock-pit  or 
not  ?  Now,  when  we  fell  in  with  the  mounsheers,  under 
Do  Grasse,  d'ye  see,  we  had  aboard  of  us  a  doctor  "  — 

"  Very  well,  Benjamin,"  interrupted  Elizabeth,  glancing 
her  eyes  from  the  hunter  to  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  who  was 
most  politely  attending  to  what  fell  from  each  individual 
in  succession,  "  you  shall  tell  me  of  that,  and  all  your  en 
ter  taming  adventures  together;  just  now,  a  room  must  be 
prepared,  in  which  the  arm  of  this  gentleman  can  be 
dressed." 

"  I  will  attend  to  that  myself,  cousin  Elizabeth,"  ob 
served  Richard,  somewhat  haughtily.  "The  young  man 
shall  not  suffer  because  Marmaduke  chooses  to  be  a  little 
obstinate.  Follow  me,  my  friend,  and  I  will  examine  the 
hurt  myself." 

"  It  will  be  well  to  wait  for  the  physician,"  said  the 
hunter,  coldly  ;  "  he  cannot  be  distant." 

Richard  paused  and  looked  at  the  speaker,  a  little  as 
tonished  at  the  language,  and  a  good  deal  appalled  at  the 
refusal.  He  construed  the  latter  into  an  act  of  hostility, 
and  placing  his  hands  in  the  pockets  again,  he  walked  up 
to  Mr.  Grant,  and  putting  his  face  close  to  the  countenance 
of  the  divine,  said  in  an  under-tone,  — 

"  Now,  mark  my  words :  there  will  be  a  story  among 
the  settlers,  that  all  our  necks  would  have  been  broken 
but  for  that  fellow,  as  if  I  did  not  know  how  to  drive. 
Why,  you  might  have  turned  the  horses  yourself,  sir ; 
nothing  was  easier ;  it  was  only  pulling  hard  on  the  nigh 
rein,  and  touching  the  off  flank  of  the  leader.  I  hope,  my 
dear  sir,  you  are  not  at  all  hurt  by  the  upset  the  lad  gave 
us?" 

The  reply  was  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  the  vil 
lage  physician. 


02  THE  PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

And  about  his  shelves, 
A  beggarly  account  of  empty  boxes, 
Green  earthen  pots,  bladders,  and  musty  seeds, 
Remnants  of  packthread,  and  old  cakes  of  roses, 
Were  thinly  scattered  to  make  up  a  show. 

SlIAKESPKARJt 

DOCTOR  ELNATIIAN  TODD,  for  such  was  the  name  of 
the  man  of  physic,  was  commonly  thought  to  be,  among 
the  settlers,  a  gentleman  of  great  mental  endowments ;  and 
he  was  assuredly  of  rare  personal  proportions.  In  height 
he  measured,  without  his  shoes,  exactly  six  feet  and  four 
inches.  His  hands,  feet,  and  knees  corresponded  in  everj 
respect  with  this  formidable  stature  ;  but  every  other  part 
of  his  frame  appeared  to  have  been  intended  for  a  man 
several  sizes  smaller,  if  we  except  the  length  of  the  limbs. 
His  shoulders  were  square,  in  one  sense  at  least,  being  in 
a  right  line  from  one  side  to  the  other ;  but  they  were  so 
narrow,  that  the  long  dangling  arms  they  supported  seemed 
jo  issue  out  of  his  back.  His  neck  possessed,  in  an  emi 
nent  degree,  the  property  of  length  to  which  we  have  al 
luded,  and  it  was  topped  by  a  small  bullet-head,  that  ex- 
hibited,  on  one  side,  a  bush  of  bristling  brown  hairj  and  on 
the  other,  a  short,  twinkling  visage,  that  appeared  to 
maintain  a  constant  struggle  with  itself  in  order  to  look 
wise.  lie  was  the  youngest  son  of  a  farmer  in  the  west 
ern  paft  of  Massachusetts,  who,  being  in  somewhat  easy 
circumstances,  had  allowed  this  boy  to  shoot  up  to  the 
height  we  have  mentioned,  without  the  ordinary  interrup 
lions  of  field-labor,  wood-chopping,  and  such  other  toils  as 
were  imposed  on  his  brothers.  Klrmthun  \vas  indebted 
for  this  exemption  from  labor  in  some  measure  to  his  ex 
traordinary  growth,  which,  leaving  him  pale,  inanimate, 


THE   PIONEERS.  68 

and  listless,  induced  his  tender  mother  to  pronounce  him 
"  a  sickly  boy,  and  one  that  was  not  equal  to  work,  but 
who  might  earn  a  living,  comfortably  enough,  by  taking 
to  pleading  law,  or  turning  minister,  or  doctoring,  or  somo 
such  like  easy  calling."  Still  there  was  great  uncertainty 
which  of  these  vocations  the  youth  was  best  endowed  to 
fill  ;  but,  having  no  other  employment,  the  stripling  was 
constantly  lounging  about  the  "  homestead,"  munching  green 
apples,  and  hunting  for  sorrel ;  when  the  same  sagacious 
eya  that  had  brought  to  light  his  latent  talents,  seized  upon 
this  circumstance,  as  a  clue  to  his  future  path  through  the 
turmoils  of  the  world.  "  Elnathan  was  cut  out  for  a  doc 
tor,  she  knew,  for  he  was  forever  digging  for  herbs,  and 
tasting  all  kinds  of  things  that  growed  about  the  lots. 
Then  again  he  had  a  natural  love  for  doctor-stuff,  for  when 
she  had  left  the  bilious  pills  out  for  her  man,  all  nicely 
covered  with  maple  sugar,  just  ready  to  take,  Nathan  had 
come  in,  and  swallowed  them,  for  all  the  world  as  if  they 
were  nothing,  while  Ichabod  (her  husband)  could  never 
get  one  down  without  making  such  desperate  faces,  that  it 
was  awful  to  look  on." 

This  discovery  decided  the  matter.  Elnathan,  then 
about  fifteen,  was,  much  like  a  wild  colt,  caught  and 
trimmed  by  clipping  his  bushy  locks ;  dressed  in  a  suit 
of  homespun,  dyed  in  the  butternut  baric ;  furnished  with 
a  New  Testament,  and  a  Webster's  Spelling  Book,  and 
sent  to  school.  As  the  boy  was  by  nature  quite  shrewd 
enough,  and  had  previously,  at  odd  times,  laid  the  founda 
tions  of  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  he  was  soon  con 
spicuous  in  the  school  for  his  learning.  The  delighted 
mother  had  the  gratification  of  hearing,  from  the  lips  of 
the  master,  that  her  son  was  a  "  prodigious  boy,  and  far 
above  all  his  class."  He  also  thought  that  "  the  youth  had 
a  natural'  love  for  doctoring,  as  he  had  known  him  fre 
quently  advise  the  smaller  children  against  eating  too 
much ;  and  once  or  twice,  when  the  ignorant  little  things 
had  persevered  in  opposition  to  Elnathan's  advice,  he  had 
known  her  sou  empty  the  school-baskets  with  his  own 
mouth,  to  prevent  the  consequences/' 


64  THE  PIONEERS. 

Soon  after  this  comfortable  declaration  from  his  school 
master,  the  lad  was  removed  to  the  house  of  the  village 
doctor,  a  gentleman  whose  early  career  had  not  been  un« 
like  that  of  our  hero,  where  he  was  to  be  seen,  sometimes 
watering  a  horse,  at  others  watering  medicines,  blue,  yel 
low,  and  red ;  then  again  he  might  be  noticed,  lolling  under 
an  apple-tree,  with  Ruddiman's  Latin  Grammar  in  his  hand, 
and  a  corner  of  Dcnman's  Midwifery  sticking  out  of  a 
pocket ;  for  his  instructor  held  it  absurd  to  teach  his  pupil 
how  to  despatch  a  patient  regularly  from  this  world,  be 
fore  he  knew  how  to  bring  him  into  it. 

This  kind  of  life  continued  for  a  twelvemonth,  when  he 
suddenly  appeared  at  meeting  in  a  long  coat  (and  well  did 
it  deserve  the  name !)  of  black  homespun,  with  little 
bootees,  bound  with  uncolored  calfskin,  for  the  want  of 
red  morocco. 

Soon  after  he  was  seen  shaving  with  a  dull  razor. 
Three  or  four  months  had  scarce  elapsed  before  several 
elderly  ladies  were  observed  hastening  towards  the  house 
of  a  poor  woman  in  the  village,  while  others  were  running 
to  and  fro  in  great  apparent  distress.  One  or  two  boys 
were  mounted,  bareback,  on  horses,  and  sent  off  at  speed 
in  various  directions.  Several  indirect  questions  were  put 
concerning  the  place  where  the  physician  was  last  seen ; 
but  all  would  not  do  ;  and  at  length  Elnathan  was  seen 
issuing  from  his  door  with  a  very  grave  air,  preceded  by  a 
(ittle  white-headed  boy,  out  of  breath,  trotting  before  him. 
The  following  day  the  youth  appeared  in  the  street,  as  the 
highway  was  called,  and  the  neighborhood  was  much  edi 
fied  by  the  additional  gravity  of  his  air.  The  same  week 
he  bought  a  new  razor :  and  the  succeeding  Sunday  he 
entered  the  meeting-house  with  a  red  silk  handkerchief  in 
his  hand,  and  with  an  extremely  demure  countenance.  In 
the  evening  he  called  upon  a  young  woman  of  his  own 
class  in  life,  for  there  were  no  others  to  be  found,  and, 
when  he  was  left  alone  with  the  fair,  he  was  called  for  the 
first  time  in  his  life,  Doctor  Todd,  by  her  prudent  mother 
The  ice  once  broken  in  this  manner,  Elnathan  was  greeted 
from  every  mouth  with  his  official  appellation. 


THE  PIONEERS.  6il 

Another  year  passed  under  the  superintendence  of  the 
game  master,  during  which  the  young  physician  had  the 
credit  of  "  riding  with  the  old  doctor,"  although  they  were 
generally  observed  to  travel  different  roads.  At  the  end 
of  that  period,  Dr.  Todd  attained  his  legal  majority,  lie 
then  took  a  jaunt  to  Boston  to  purchase  medicines,  and,  as 
some  intimated,  to  walk  the  hospital ;  we  know  not  how 
the  latter  might  have  been,  but  if  true,  he  soon  walked 
through  it,  for  he  returned  within  a  fortnight,  bringing 
with  him  a  suspicious-looking  box,  that  smelled  powerfully 
of  brimstone, 

The  next  Sunday  he  was  married :  and  the  following 
morning  he  entered  a  one-horse  sleigh  with  his  bride,  having 
before  him  the  box  we  have  mentioned,  with  another  filled 
with  home-made  household  linen,  a  paper  covered  trunk, 
with  a  red  umbrella  lashed  to  it,  a  pair  of  quite  new  saddle 
bags,  and  a  bandbox.  The  next  intelligence  that  his  friends 
received  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom  was,  that  the  latter 
was  "  settled  in  the  new  countries  and  well  to  do  as  a  doc 
tor,  in  Temploton,  in  York  State  ! " 

If  a  Templar  would  smile  at  the  qualifications  of  Marma- 
luke  to  fill  the  judicial  seat  he  occupied,  we  are  certain  that 
a  graduate  of  Leyden  or  Edinburgh  would  be  extremely 
amused  with  this  true  narration  of  the  servitude  of  Elnathan 
in  the  temple  of  ^Esculapius.  But  the  same  consolation 
was  afforded  to  both  the  jurist  and  the  leech ;  for  Dr.  Todd 
was  quite  as  much  on  a  level  with  his  compeers  of  the 
profession,  in  that  country,  as  was  Marmaduke  with  his 
brethren  on  the  bench. 

Time  and  practice  did  wonders  for  the  physician.  He 
was  naturally  humane,  but  possessed  of  no  small  share  of 
moral  courage ;  or,  in  other  words,  he  was  chary  of  the 
lives  of  his  patients,  and  never  tried  uncertain  experimenta 
on  such  members  of  society  as  were  considered  useful  ;  but 
once  or  twice  when  a  luckless  vagrant  had  come  under  hia 
care,  he  was  a  little  addicted  to  trying  the  effects  of  every 
phial  in  his  saddle-bags  on  the  stranger's  constitution. 
Happily  their  number  was  small,  and  in  most  cases  their 
natures  innocent.  By  these  means  Eluathan  had  acquired 


66  THE  PIONEERS. 

a  certain  degree  of  knowledge  in  fevers  and  agues,  and 
could  talk  with  much  judgment  concerning  intermittents, 
remittents,  tertians,  quotidians,  etc.  In  certain  cutaneous 
disorders,  very  prevalent  in  new  settlements,  he  was  consid 
ered  to  be  infallible ;  and  there  was  no  woman  on  the 
Patent,  but  would  as  soon  think  of  becoming  a  mother 
without  a  husband,  as  without  the  assistance  of  Dr.  Todd. 
In  short  he  was  rearing,  on  this  foundation  of  sand,  a  super 
structure,  cemented  by  practice,  though  composed  of  some 
what  brittle  materials.  He  however  occasionally  renewed 
his  elementary  studies,  and,  with  the  observation  of  a  shrewd 
mind,  WPS  comfortably  applying  his  practice  to  his  theory. 

In  surgery,  having  the  least  experience,  and  it  being  a 
business  that  spoke  directly  to  the  senses,  he  was  most  apt 
to  distrust  his  own  powers:  but  he  had  ar  plied  oils  to  sev 
eral  burns,  cut  round  the  roots  of  sundry  defective  teeth, 
and  sewed  up  the  wounds  of  numberless  wood-choppers, 
with  considerable  eVetf,  when  an  unfortunate  jobber1  suffered 
a  fracture  of  his  leg  by  the  tree  that  he  had  been  felling. 
It  was  on  this  occasion  that  our  hero  encountered  the 
greatest  trial  his  nerves  and  moral  feeling  had  ever  sus 
tained.  In  the  hour  of  need,  however,  he  was  not  found 
wanting.  Most  of  the  amputations  in  the  new  settlements, 
and  they  were  quite  frequent,  were  performed  by  some  one 
practitioner,  who,  possessing  originally  a  reputation,  was 
enabled  by  this  circumstance  to  acquire  an  experience  that 
rendered  him  deserving  of  it ;  and  Elriathan  had  been 
present  at  one  or  two  of  these  operations.  But  on  the 
present  occasion  the  man  of  practice  was  not  to  be  obtained, 
and  the  duty  fell,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  the  share  of  Mr. 
Todd.  He  went  to  work  with  a  kind  of  blind  desperation, 
observing,  at  the  same  time,  all  the  externals  of  deceit 
gravity  and  great  skill.  The  sufferer's  name  was  Milligan, 
and  it  was  to  this  event  that  Richard  alluded  when  he  spoke 
>f  assisting  the  Doctor  at  an  amputation  —  by  holding  the 
leg  !  The  limb  was  certainly  cut  ofl,  and  the  patient  sur 
vived  the  operation.  It  was,  however,  two  years  before 
poor  Milligan  ceased  to  complain,  thai  they  bad  buried  the 
1  People  who  clear  l»tl  by  the  acre  or  job,  are  thus  called. 


THE  PIONEERS.  67 

leg  in  so  narrow  a  box,  that  it  was  straitened  for  room :  he 
could  feel  the  pain  shooting  up  from  the  inhumed  fragment 
into  the  living  members.  Marmaduke  suggested  that  the 
fault  might  lie  in  the  arteries  and  nerves:  but  Richard, 
considering  the  amputation  as  part  of  his  own  handiwork, 
strongly  repelled  the  insinuation,  at  the  same  time  declaring, 
that  he  had  often  heard  of  men  who  could  tell  when  it  was 
about  to  rain,  by  the  toes  of  amputated  limbs.  After  two 
or  three  j  ears,  notwithstanding  Milligan's  complaints  gradu 
ally  diminished,  the  leg  was  dug  up,  and  a  larger  box  fur 
nished,  and  from  that  hour  no  one  had  heard  the  sufferer 
utter  another  complaint  on  the  subject.  This  gave  the 
public  great  confidence  in  Dr.  Todd,  whose  reputation  was 
hourly  increasing,  and,  luckily  for  his  patients,  his  informa 
tion  also.1 

Notwithstanding  Dr.  Todd's  practice,  and  his  success  with 
the  leg,  he  was  not  a  little  appalled  on  entering  the  hall  of 
the  Mansion-house.  It  was  glaring  with  the  light  of  day  ; 
it  looked  so  splendid  and  imposing,  compared  with  the 
hastily  built  and  scantily  furnished  apartments  which  he 
frequented  in  his  ordinary  practice,  and  contained  so  many 
well  dressed  persons  and  anxious  faces,  that  his  usually  firm 
nerves  were  a  good  deal  discomposed.  He  had  heard,  from 
the  messenger  who  summoned  him,  that  it  was  a  gun-shot 
wound,  and  had  come  from  his  own  home,  wading  through 
the  snow,  with  his  saddle-bags  thrown  over  his  arm,  while 
separated  arteries,  penetrated  lungs,  and  injured  vitals,  were 
whirling  through  his  brain,  as  if  he  were  stalking  over  a  field 
of  battle,  instead  of  Judge  Temple's  peaceable  inclosure. 

The  first  object  that  met  his  eye,  as  he  moved  into  the 
room,  was  Elizabeth  in  her  riding-habit,  richly  laced  with 
gold  cord,  her  fine  form  bending  towards  him,  and  her  face 
expressing  deep  anxiety  in  every  one  of  its  beautiful  fea 
tures.  The  enormous  bony  knees  of  the  physician  struck 
each  other  with  a  noise  that  was  audible  ;  for  in  the  absent 
state  of  his  mind,  he  mistook  her  for  a  general  officer,  per 
forated  with  bullets,  hastening  from  the  field  of  battle  to  im 
plore  assistance.  The  delusion,  however,  was  but  moment 
ary,  and  his  eye  glanced  rapidly  from  the  daughter  to  th« 

1  S»-e  \in»cndix,  Note  B. 


68  THE  PIONEERS. 

earnest  dignity  of  the  father's  countenance ;  thence  to  the 
busy  strut  of  .Richard,  who  was  cooling  his  impatience  at  the 
hunter's  indifference  to  his  assistance,  by  pacing  the  hall  and 
cracking  his  whip  ;  from  him  to  the  Frenchman,  who  had 
stood  for  several  minutes  unheeded,  with  a  chair  for  the 
lady ;  thence  to  Major  Hartmann,  who  was  very  coolly 
lighting  a  pipe  three  feet  long  by  a  candle  in  one  of  the 
chandeliers ;  thence  to  Mr.  Grant,  who  was  turning  over  a 
manuscript  with  much  earnestness  at  one  of  the  lustres ; 
thence  to  Remarkable,  who  stood,  with  her  arms  demurely 
folded  before  her,  surveying  with  a  look  of  admiration  and 
envy,  the  dress  and  beauty  of  the  young  lady ;  and  from  her 
to  Benjamin,  who,  with  his  feet  standing  wide  apart,  and  his 
arms  akimbo,  was  balancing  his  square  little  body,  with  the 
indifference  of  one  who  is  accustomed  to  wounds  and  blood 
shed.  All  of  these  seemed  to  be  unhurt,  and  the  operator 
began  to  breathe  more  freely ;  but  before  he  had  time  to 
take  a  second  look,  the  Judge,  advancing,  shook  him  kindly 
by  the  hand,  and  spoke. 

"  Thou  art  welcome,  my  good  sir,  quite  welcome,  indeed ; 
here  is  a  youth  whom  I  have  unfortunately  wounded  in 
shooting  a  deer  this  evening,  and  who  requires  some  of  thy 
assistance." 

"  Shooting  at  a  deer,  'Duke,"  interrupted  Richard,  "  shoot 
ing  at  a  deer.  Who  do  you  think  can  prescribe,  unless  he 
knows  the  truth  of  the  case  ?  It  is  always  so  with  some 
people  ;  they  think  a  doctor  can  be  deceived  with  the  same 
impunity  as  another  man." 

"  Shooting  at  a  deer,  truly,"  returned  the  Judge,  smiling, 
u  although  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  I  did  not  aid  in  de 
stroying  the  buck  ;  but  the  youth  is  injured  by  my  hand,  be 
that  as  it  may  ;  and  it  is  thy  skill  that  must  cure  him,  and 
aay  pocket  shall  amply  reward  thee  for  it." 

u  Two  ver  good  tings  to  depend  on,"  observed  Monsieur 
Le  Quoi,  bowing  politely,  with  a  sweep  of  his  head,  to  the 
Judge  and  the  practitioner. 

u  I  thank  you,  Monsieur,"  returned  the  Judge  ;  "  but  we 
keep  the  young  man  in  pain.  Remarkable,  thou  wilt  pleasi 
to  provide  linen  for  lint  and  bandages." 


THE   PIONEERS.  69 

This  remark  caused  a  cessation  of  the  complimtnts,  and 
induced  the  physician  to  turn  nn  inquiring  eye  in  the  direc 
tion  of  his  patient.  During  the  dialogue  the  young  hunter 
had  thrown  aside  his  overcoat,  and  now  stood  clad  in  a  plain 
suit  of  the  common,  light-colored  homespun  of  the  country, 
that  was  evidently  but  recently  made.  His  hand  was  on 
the  lapels  of  his  coat,  in  the  attitude  of  removing  the  gar 
ment,  when  he  suddenly  suspended  the  movement,  and 
looked  towards  the  commiserating  Elizabeth,  who  was  stand 
ing  in  an  unchanged  posture,  too  much  absorbed  with 
hsr  anxious  feelings  to  heed  his  actions.  A  slight  color 
appeared  on  the  brow  of  the  youth. 

"  Possibly  the  sight  of  blood  may  alarm  the  lady  ;  I  will 
retire  to  another  room  while  the  wound  is  dressing." 

"  By  no  means,"  said  Dr.  Todd,  who,  having  discovered 
that  his  patient  was  far  from  being  a  man  of  importance, 
felt  much  emboldened  to  perform  the  duty.  "  The  strong 
light  of  these  candles  is  favorable  to  the  operation,  and  it  is 
seldom  that  we  hard  students  enjoy  good  eye-sight." 

While  speaking,  Elnathan  placed  a  pair  of  large  iron- 
rimmed  spectacles  on  his  face,  where  they  dropped,  as  it 
were  by  long  practice,  to  the  extremity  of  his  slim  pug  nose  ; 
and  if  they  were  of  no  service  as  assistants  to  his  eyes, 
neither  were  they  any  impediment  to  his  vision  ;  for  his 
little  gray  organs  were  twinkling  above  them,  like  two  stars 
emerging  from  the  envious  cover  of  a  cloud.  The  action 
was  unheeded  by  all  but  Remarkable,  who  observed  to 
Benjamin,  — 

"  Dr.  Todd  is  a  comely  man  to  look  on,  and  disp'ut  pretty. 
How  well  he  seems  in  spectacles  !  I  declare,  they  give  a 
grand  look  to  a  body's  face.  I  have  quite  a  great  mind  to 
try  them  myself." 

The  speech  of  the  stranger  recalled  the  recollection  of 
Miss  Temple,  who  started,  as  if  from  deep  abstraction,  anf 
coloring  excessively,  she  motioned  to  a  young  woman  who 
served  in  the  capacity  of  maid,  and  retired  with  an  ail  of 
womanly  reserve. 

The  field  was  now  left  to  the  physician  and  his  patient, 
while  the  different  personages  who  remained  gathered 


70  THE   PIONEERS. 

around  the  latter,  with  faces  expressing  the  various  degrees 
of  interest  that  each  one  felt  in  his  condition.  Major  Hart- 
mann  alone  retained  his  seat,  where  he  continued  to  throw 
out  vast  quantities  of  smoke,  now  rolling  his  eyes  up  to  the 
ceiling,  as  if  musing  on  the  uncertainty  of  life,  and  now 
bending  them  on  the  wounded  man,  with  an  expression  that 
bespoke  some  consciousness  of  his  situation.  ^ 

In-  the  mean  time  Elnathan,  to  whom  the  sight  of  a  gun 
shot  wound  was  a  perfect  novelty,  commenced  his  prepara 
tions  with  a  solemnity  and  care  that  were  worthy  of  the 
occasion.  An  old  shirt  was  procured  by  Benjamin,  and 
placed  in  the  hands  of  the  other,  who  tore  divers  bandages 
from  it,  with  an  exactitude  that  marked  both  his  own  skill 
and  the  importance  of  the  operation. 

When  this  preparatory  measure  was  taken,  Dr.  Todd 
selected  a  piece  of  the  shirt  with  great  care,  and  handing  it 
to  Mr.  Jones,  without  moving  a  muscle,  said,  — 

"  Here,  Squire  Jones,  you  are  well  acquainted  with  these 
things  ;  will  you  please  to  scrape  the  lint  ?  It  should  be 
fine  and  soft,  you  know,  my  dear  sir ;  and  be  cautious  that 
no  cotton  gets  in,  or  it  may  p'ison  the  wound.  The  shirt 
has  been  made  with  cotton  thread,  but  you  can  easily  pick 
it  out." 

Richard  assumed  the  office,  with  a  nod  at  his  cousin,  that 
said  quite  plainly,  "  You  see  this  fellow  can't  get  along  with 
out  me  ; "  and  began  to  scrape  the  linen  on  his  knee  with 
great  diligence. 

A  table  was  now  spread  with  phials,  boxes  of  salve,  and 
divers  surgical  instruments.  As  the  latter  appeared  in  .suc 
cession,  from  a  case  of  red  morocco,  their  owner  held  up 
each  implement  to  the  strong  light  of  the  chandelier,  near 
to  which  he  stood,  and  examined  it  with  the  nicest  care.  A 
red  silk  handkerchief  was  frequently  applied  to  the  glitter- 
iug  steel,  as  if  to  remove  from  the  polished  surfaces  the  least 
impediment  which  might  exist,  to  the  most  delicate  opera 
tion.  After  the  rather  scantily  furnished  pocket-case  which 
contained  these  instruments  was  exhausted,  the  physician 
turned  to  his  saddle-bags,  and  produced  various  phials,  filled 
with  liquids  of  the  most  radiant  colors.  These  were 


THE  PIONEERS.  71 

arranged  in  due  ciJer,  by  the  side  of  the  murderous  saws, 
knives,  and  scissors,  when  Elnathan  stretched  his  long  body 
to  its  utmost  elevation,  placing  his  hand  on  the  small  of  hia 
back,  as  if  for  support,  and  looked  about  him  to  discover 
what  effect  this  display  of  professional  skill  ^was  likely  to 
produce  on  the  spectators. 

"  Upon  my  wort,  toctor,"  observed  Major  Hartmann,  with 
a  roguish  roll  of  his  little  black  eyes,  but  with  every  othei 
feature  of  his  face  in  a  state  of  perfect  rest,  "  put  you  have 
a  very  pretty  pocket-pook  of  tools  tere,  and  your  toctor- 
stuff  glitters  as  if  it  was  petter  for  ter  eyes  as  for  ter  pelly.' 

Elnathan  gave  a  hem  —  one  that  might  have  been  equally 
taken  for  that  kind  of  noise  which  cowards  are  said  to  make; 
in  order  to  awaken  their  dormant  courage,  or  for  a  natural 
effort  to  clear  the  throat ;  if  for  the  latter,  it  was  successful 
for  turning  his  face  to  the  veteran  German,  he  said, — 

"  Very  true,  Major  Hartmann,  very  true,  sir ;  a  prudent 
man  will  always  strive  to  make  his  remedies  agreeable  to 
the  eyes,  though  they  may  not  altogether  suit  the  stomach. 
It  is  no  small  part  of  our  art,  sir,"  and  he  now  spoke  with 
the  confidence  of  a  man  who  understood  his  subject,  "  to 
reconcile  the  patient  to  what  is  for  his  own  good,  though  at 
the  same  time  it  may  be  unpalatable." 

"  Sartain !  Dr.  Todd  is  right,"  said  Remarkable,  "  and 
has  Scripter  for  what  he  says.  The  Bible  tells  us  how 
things  may  be  sweet  to  the  mouth,  and  bitter  to  the 
inwards." 

"  True,  true,"  interrupted  the  Judge,  a  little  impatiently ; 
ubut  here  is  a  youth  who  needs  no  deception  to  lure  him  to 
hia  own  benefit.  I  see,  by  his  eye,  that  he  fears  nothing 
more  than  delay." 

The  stranger  had,  without  assistance,  bared  his  own 
shoulder,  when  the  slight  perforation  produced  by  the  pas 
sage  of  the  buck-shot  was  plainly  visible.  The  intense  cold 
of  the  evening  had  stopped  the  bleeding,  and  Dr.  Todd,  cast 
ing  a  furtive  glance  at  the  wound,  thought  it  by  no  means 
BO  formidable  an  affair  as  he  had  anticipated.  Thus  encour 
aged  he  approached  his  patient,  and  made  some  indication 
of  an  intention  to  trace  the  route  that  had  been  taken  by 
the  lead. 


72  THE  PIONEERS. 

Remarkable  often  found  occasions,  in  after  days,  to 
recount  the  minutiae  of  that  celebrated  operation ;  and  when 
she  arrived  at  this  point  she  commonly  proceeded  as 
follows:  "And  then  the  Doctor  tuck  out  of  the  pocket- 
book  a  long  thing,  like  a  knitting-needle,  with  a  button 
fastened  to  the  end  on't ;  and  then  he  pushed  it  into  the 
wownd ;  and  then  the  young  man  looked  awful ;  and  then 
I  thought  I  should  have  swaned  away  —  I  felt  in  sitch  a 
disp'ut  taking ;  and  then  the  Doctor  had  run  it  right  through 
his  shoulder,  and  shoved  the  bullet  out  on  t'other  side ;  and 
so  Dr.  Todd  cured  the  young  man  of  a  ball  that  the 
Judge  had  shot  into  him,  for  all  the  world,  as  easy  as  J 
could  pick  out  a  splinter  with  my  darning-needle." 

Such  were  the  impressions  of  Remarkable  on  the  subject ; 
and  such  doubtless  were  the  opinions  of  most  of  those  who 
felt  it  necessary  to  entertain  a  species  of  religious  venera 
tion  for  the  skill  of  Elnathan ;  out  such  was  far  from  the 
truth. 

When  the  physician  attempted  to  introduce  the  instru 
ment  described  by  Remarkable,  he  was  repulsed  by  tho 
stranger,  with  a  good  deal  of  decision,  and  some  little  con 
tempt,  in  his  manner. 

"  I  believe,  sir,"  he  said,  "  that  a  probe  is  not  necessary ; 
the  shot  has  missed  the  bone,  and  has  passed  directly 
through  the  arm  to  the  opposite  side,  where  it  remains  but 
skin-deep,  and  whence,  I  should  think,  it  might  be  easily 
extracted." 

"  The  gentleman  knows  best,"  said  Dr.  Todd,  laying  down 
the  probe  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  had  assumed  it  merely 
in  compliance  with  forms ;  and  turning  to  Richard,  he 
fingered  the  lint  with  the  appearance  of  great  care  and  fore 
sight.  "  Admirably  well  scraped,  Squire  Jones !  it  is  about 
the  best  lint  I  have  ever  seen.  I  want  your  assistance,  my 
good  sir,  to  hold  the  patient's  arm  while  I  make  an  incision 
for  the  ball.  Now,  I  rather  guess  there  is  not  another 
gentleman  present  who  could  scrape  the  lint  so  well  aa 
Squire  Jones." 

"  Sucli  things  run  in  families,"  observed  Richard,  rising 
\?ith  ahicnty  to  render  tho  desired  assistance.  "  My  father 


THE   PIONEERS.  73 

and  my  grandfather  before  him,  were  both  celebrated  for 
their  knowledge  of  surgery  ;  they  were  not,  like  Marmaduke, 
here,  puffed  up  with  an  accidental  thing,  such  as  the  time 
when  he  drew  in  the  hip-joint  of  the  man  who  was  thrown 
from  his  horse :  that  was  the  fall  before  you  came  into  the 
settlement,  Doctor  ;^  but  they  were  men  who  were  taught  the 
thing  regularly,  spending  half  their  lives  in  learning  those 
little  niceties  ;  though  for  the  matter  of  that,  my  grandfather 
was  a  college-bred  physician,  and  the  best  in  the  colony,  too 
—  that  is,  in  his  neighborhood." 

"  So  it  goes  with  the  world,  Squire,"  cried  Benjamin,  "  if- 
so-be  that  a  man  wants  to  walk  the  quarter-deck  with  credit, 
d'ye  see,  and  with  regular  built  swabs  on  his  shoulders,  he 
mustn't  think  to  do  it  by  getting-  in  at  the  cabin-windows. 
There  are  two  ways  to  get  into  a  top,  besides  the  lubber- 
holes.  The  true  way  to  walk  aft  is  to  begin  forrard  ;  tho'f 
it  be  only  in  a  humble  way,  like  myself,  d'ye  see,  which  was, 
from  being  only  a  hander  of  top-gallant-sails,  and  a  stower 
of  the  flying-jib,  to  keeping  the  key  of  the  captain's  locker." 

"  Benjamin  speaks  quite  to  the  purpose,"  continued  Rich 
ard.  "  I  dare  say  that  he  has  often  seen  shot  extracted,  in 
the  different  ships  in  which  he  has  served  ;  suppose  we  get 
him  to  hold  the  basin  ;  he  must  be  used  to  the  sight  of 
blood." 

"  That  he  is,  Squire,  that  he  is,"  interrupted  the  ci-devant 
steward  ;  "  many's  the  good  shot,  round,  double-headed,  and 
grape,  that  I've  seen  the  doctors  at  work  on.  For  the  mat 
ter  of  that,  I  was  in  a  boat,  alongside  the  ship,  when  they 
cut  out  the  twelve-pound  shot  from  the  thigh  of  the  captain 
of  the  Foody-rong,  one  of  Mounsheer  Ler  Quaw's  country 
men !  "  * 

"  A  twelve-pound  ball  from  the  thigh  of  a  human  being  ? ' 
exclaimed  Mr.  Grant,  with  great  simplicity,  dropping  the 
SDrmon  he  was  again  reading,  and  raising  his  spectacles  to 
the  top  of  his  forehead. 

"  A  twelve-pounder !  "  echoed  Benjamin,  staring  around 
urn  with  much  confidence  ;  "  a  twelve-pounder  !  ay3 !  a 

1  It  is  possible  that  the  reader  may  start  at  this  declaration  of  Benjamin,  bul 
those  who  have  lived  in  the  new  settlements  of  America,  are  too  much 
turned  to  hear  of  these  European  exploits,  to-  doubt  it. 


74  THE  PIONEEBS. 

twenty-four  pound  shot  can  easily  be  taken  from  a  man'i 
body,  if-so-be  a  doctor  only  knows  how.  There's  Squire 
Jones,  now,  ask  him,  sir ;  he  reads  all  the  books ;  ask  him 
if  he  never  fell  in  with  a  page  that,  keeps  the  reckoning  of 
such  tilings." 

u  Certainly,  more  important  operations  than  that  have 
been  performed,"  observed  Richard ;  "  the  Encyclopaedia 
mentions  much  more  incredible  circumstances  than  that,  as, 
I  dare  say,  you  know,  Doctor  Todd." 

"  Certainly,  there  are  incredible  tales  told  in  the  Ency 
clopedias,"  returned  Elnathan,  "  though  I  cannot  say  that  I 
have  ever  seen,  myself,  anything  larger  than  a  musket-bullet 
extracted." 

During  this  discourse  an.incision  had  been  made  through 
the  skin  of  the  young  hunter's  shoulder,  and  the  lead  was 
laid  bare.  Elnathan  took  a  pair  of  glittering  forceps,  and 
was  in  the  act  of  applying  them  to  the  wound,  when  a  sud 
den  motion  of  the  patient  caused  the  shot  to  fall  out  of  itself. 
The  long  arm  and  broad  hand  of  the  operator  were  now  of 
singular  service ;  for  the  latter  expanded  itself,  and  caught 
the  lead,  while  at  the  same  time,  an  extremely  ambiguous 
motion  was  made  by  its  brother,  so  as  to  leave  it  doubtful  to 
the  spectators  how  great  was  its  agency  in  releasing  the  shot. 
Richard,  however,  put  the  matter  at  rest  by  exclaiming,  — 

"  Very  neatly  done,  Doctor !  I  have  never  seen  a  shot 
more  neatly  extracted ;  and,  I  dare  say,  Benjamin  will  say 
the  same." 

"  Why,  considering,"  returned  Benjamin,  "  I  must  say, 
that  it  was  ship-shape,  and  Brister-fashion.  Now  all  that 
the  Doctor  has  to  do,  is  to  clap  a  couple  of  plugs  in  the  holes, 
and  the  lad  will  float  in  any  gale  that  blows  in  these  here 
bills." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,  for  what  you  have  done,"  said  the 
youth,  with  a  little  distance  ;  "  but  here  is  a  man  who  will 
take  me  under  his  care,  and  spare  you  all,  gentlemen,  any 
further  trouble  on  my  account." 

The  whole  group  turned  their  heads  in  surprise,  and  be« 
held,  standing  at  one  of  the  distant  doors  of  the  hall,  tht 
person  c(  Indian  John.1 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  C. 


THE  PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

From  Susquehanna's  utmost  springs, 
Where  savage  tribes  pursue  their  game, 

His  blanket  tied  with  yellow  strings, 
The  shepherd  of  the  forest  came. 

FRENEAU. 

BEFORE  the  Europeans,  or,  to  use  a  more  significant  term, 
tlie  Christians,  dispossessed  the  original  owners  of  the  soil, 
all  that  section  of  country,  which  contains  the  New  England 
States,  and  those  of  the  Middle,  which  lie  east  of  the  moun 
tains,  was  occupied  by  two  great  nations  of  Indians,  from 
whom  had  descended  numberless  tribes.  But,  as  the  original 
distinctions  between  these  nations  were  marked  by  a  differ 
ence  in  language,  as  well  as  by  repeated  and  bloody  wars, 
they  never  were  known  to  amalgamate,  until  after  the  power 
and  inroads  of  the  whites  had  reduced  some  of  the  tribes  to 
a  state  of  dependence,  that  rendered  not  only  their  political, 
but,  considering  the  wants  and  habits  of  a  savage,  their  ani 
mal  existence  also,  extremely  precarious. 

These  two  great  divisions  consisted,  on  the  one  side,  of 
the  Five,  or  as  they  were  afterwards  called,  the  Six  Nations, 
and  their  allies  ;  and  on  the  other,  of  the  kenni  Lenape,  or 
Delawares,  with  the  numerous  and  powerful  tribes  that  owned 
that  nation  as  their  grandfather.  The  former  were  gener 
ally  called,  by  the  Anglo-Americans,  Iroquois,  or  the  Sii 
Nations,  and  sometimes  Mingos.  Their  appellation,  among 
'jheir  rivals,  seems  generally  to  have  been  the  Mengwe,  or 
Maqua.  They  consisted  of  the  tribes,  or,  as  their  allies  were 
fond  of  asserting,  in  order  to  raise  their  consequence,  of  the 
several  nations  of  the  Mohawks,  the  Oneidas,  the  Onondagas, 
Cayugas,  and  Senecas  ;  who  ranked,  in  the  confederation,  in 
the  order  in  which  they  are  named.  The  Tuscaroras  were 
%dmitted  to  this  union,  near  a  century  after  its  formation, 
and  thus  completed  the  number  to  six. 


7b  THE   I'lOJST.KKS. 

Of  the  Leimi  Lenape,  or  as  they  were  called  by  the 
whites,  from  the  circumstance  of  their  holding  their  great 
council  fire  on  the  banks  of  that  river,  the  Delaware  nation, 
the  principal  tribes,  besides  that  which  bore  the  generic 
name,  were,  the  Mahicanni,  Mohicans,  or  Mohegans,  and 
the  Nanticokes,  or  Nentigoes.  Of  these,  the  latter  held  the 
country  along  the  waters  of  the  Chesapeake  and  the  sea 
shore  ;  while  the  Mohegans  occupied  the  district  between 
the  Hudson  and  the  ocean,  including  much  of  New  England* 
Of  course,  these  two  tribes  were  the  first  who  were  dispos 
sessed  of  their  lands  by  the  Europeans. 

The  wars  of  a  portion  of  the  latter  are  celebrated  among 
us  as  the  wars  of  King  Philip  ;  but  the  peaceful  policy  of 
William  Penn,  or  Miquon,  as  he  was  termed  by  the  natives, 
effected  its  object  with  less  difficulty,  though  not  with  less  . 
certainty.  As  the  natives  gradually  disappeared  from  the 
country  of  the  Mohegans,  some  scattering  families  sought  a 
refuge  around  the  council  fire  of  the  mother  tribe,  or  the 
Delawares. 

This  people  had  been  induced  to  suffer  themselves  to  be 
called  ivomen,  by  their  old  enemies,  the  Mingos,  or  Iroquois, 
after  the  latter,  having  in  vain  tried  the  effects  of  hostility, 
had  recourse  to  artifice,  in  order  to  prevail  over  their  rivals. 
According  to  this  declaration,  the  Delawares  were  to  culti 
vate  the  arts  of  peace,  and  to  intrust  their  defense  entirely 
to  the  men,  or  warlike  tribes  of  the  Six  Nations. 

This  state  of  things  continued  until  the  war  of  the  Revo 
lution,  when  the  Lenni  Leu  ape  formally  asserted  their  in-  \ 
dependence,  and  fearlessly  declared  that  they  were  again 
men.  But  in  a  government  so  peculiarly  republican  as  the 
Indian  polity,  it  was  not  at  all  times  an  easy  task  to  restrain 
its  members  within  the  rules  of  the  nation.  Several  fierce 
and  renowned  warriors  of  the  Mohegans,  finding  the  conflict 
vith  the  whites  to  be  in  vain,  sought  a  refuge  with  their 
Grandfather,  and  brought  with  them  the  feelings  and  princi 
ples  that  had  so  long  distinguished  them  in  their  own  tribe. 
These  chieftains  kept  alive,  in  some  measure,  the  martiaif 
spirit  of  the  Delawares  ;  and  would,  at  times,  lead  small 
parties  against  their  ancient  enemies,  or  such  other  foes  aa 
incurred  their  resentment. 


THE  PIONEERS.  77 

Among  these  warriors  was  one  race  particularly  famous 
for  their  prowess,  and  for  those  qualities  that  render  an  In 
dian  hero  celebrated.  But  war,  time,  disease,  and  want 
had  conspired  to  thin  their  number ;  and  the  sole  represent 
ative  of  this  once  renowned  family  now  stood .  in  the  hail 
of  Marmaduke  Temple.  He  had  for  a  long  time, been  an 
associate  of  the  white  men,  particularly  in. their  wars  ;  and 
having  been,  at  a  season  when  his  services  were  of  impor« 
tance,  much  noticed  and  flattered,  he  had  turned  Christian, 
and  was  baptized  by  the  name  of  John.  He  had  suffered 
se\ v,rely  in  his  family  during  the  recent  war,  having  had 
every  soul  to  whom  he  was  allied  cut  off  by  an  inroad  of 
the  enemy ;  and  when  the  last,  lingering  remnant  of  hia 
nation  extinguished  their  fires,  among  the  hills  of  the  Dela 
ware,  he  alone  had  remained,  with  a  determination  of  laying 
his  bones  in  that  country,  where  his  fathers  had  so  long 
lived  and  governed. 

It  was  only,  however,  within  a  few  months,  that  he  had 
appeared  among  the  mountains  that  surrounded  Templeton. 
To  the  hut  of  the  old  hunter  he  seemed  peculiarly  welcome ; 
.  and,  as  the  habits  of  the  "  Leather-Stocking,"  were  so  nearly 
assimilated  to  those  of  the  savages,  the  conjunction  of  their 
interests  excited  no  surprise.  They  resided  in  the  same 
cabin,  ate  of  the  same  food,  and  were  chiefly  occupied  in 
the  same  pursuits. 

We  have  already  mentioned  the  baptismal  name  of  thia 
ancient  chief;  but  in  his  conversation  with  Natty,  held  in 
the  language  of  the  Delawares,  he  was  heard  uniformly  to 
call  himself  Chingachgook,  whioh,  interpreted,  means  the 
"  Great  Snake."  This  name  he  had  acquired  in  youth,  by 
his  skill  and  prowess  in  war  ;  but  when  his  brows  began  to 
wrinkle  with  time,  and  he  stood  alone,  the  last  of  his  family, 
and  his  particular  tribe,  the  few  Delawares,  who  yet  con 
tinued  about  the  head-waters  of  their  river,  gave  him  the 
mournful  appellation  of  Mohegan.  Perhaps  there  was  some 
thing  of  deep  feeling  excited  in  the  bosom  of  this  inhabit 
ant  of  the  forest  by  the  sound  of  a  name  that  recalled  the 
idea  of  his  nation  in  ruins,  for  he  seldom  used  it  himself  — 
qever  indeed;  excepting  on  the  most  sok'mn  occasions  ;  but 


78  THE  PIONEERS. 

the  settlers  had  united,  according  to  the  Christian  custom, 
his  baptismal  with  his  national  name,  and  to  them  he  was 
generally  known  as  John  Mohegan,  or,  more  familiarly,  as 
Indian  John. 

From  his  long  association  with  the  white  men,  the  habits 
of  Mohegan  were  a  mixture  of  the  civilized  and  savage 
states,  though  there  was  certainly  a  strong  preponderance 
in  favor  of  the  latter.  In  common  with  all  his  people,  who 
dwelt  within  the  influence  of  the  Anglo-Americans,  he  had 
acquired  new  wants,  and  his  dress  was  a  mixture  of  his  na 
tive  and  European  fashions.  Notwithstanding  the  intense 
cold  without,  his  head  was  uncovered ;  but  a  profusion  of 
long,  black,  coarse  hair  concealed  his  forehead,  his  crown, 
and  even  hung  about  his  cheeks,  so  as  to  convey  the  idea, 
to  one  who  knew  his  present  and  former  conditions,  that  he 
encouraged  its  abundance,  as  a  willing  veil,  to  hide  the 
shame  of  a  noble  soul,  mourning  for  glory  once  known. 
His  forehead,  when  it  could  be  seen,  appeared  lofty,  broad, 
and  noble.  His  nose  was  high,  and  of  the  kind  called  Ro 
man,  with  nostrils  that  expanded,  in  his  seventieth  year,  with 
the  freedom  that  had  distinguished  them  in  youth.  His 
mouth  was  large,  but  compressed,  and  possessing  a  great 
share  of  expression  and  character, ;.  and,  when  open,  it  dis 
covered  a  perfect  set  of  sjiort,  strong,  and  regular  teeth. 
His  chin  was  full,  though  n6t  prominent ;  and  his  face  bore 
the  infallible  mark  of  his  people,  in  its  square,  'high  cheek 
bones.  The  eyes  were  not  large,  biit  their  black  orbs  glit 
tered  in  the  rays  of  the  candles,  as  he  gazed  intently  down ! 
the  hall,  like  two  balls  of  fire. 

The  instant  that  Mohegan  observed  himself  to  be  noticed 
by  the  group  around  the  young  stranger,  he  dropped  tho 
blanket,  which  covered  the  upper  part  of  his  frame,  from 
his  shoulders,  suffering  it  to  fall  over  his  leggings  of  untanned 
deerskin,  where  it  was  retained  by  a  belt  of  bark  that  con 
fined  it  to  his  waist. 

As  he  walked  slowly  down  the  long  hall,  the  dignified 
and  deliberate  tread  of  the  Indian  surprised  the  spectators. 
His  shoulders,  and  body  to  his  waist,  were  entirely  bare, 
with  the  exception  of  a  silver  medallion  of  Washington,  that 


THE   PIONEERS.  79 

was  suspended  frcin  his  neck  by  a  thong  of  buckskin,  and 
rested  on  his  high  chest,  amidst  many  scars.  His  shoulders 
were  rather  broad  and  full ;  but  the  arms,  though  straight 
and  graceful,  wanted  the  muscular  appearance  that  labor 
gives  to  a  race  of  men.  The  medallion  was  the  only  orna 
ment  he  wore,  although  enormous  slits  in  the  rim  of  either 
ear,  which  suffered  the  cartilages  to  fall  two  inches  belo\i 
the  members,  had  evidently  been  used  for  the  purposes  oi 
decoration  in  other  days.  In  his  hand  he  held  a  small  bas 
ket  of  the  ash- wood  slips,  colored  in  divers  fantastical  con 
ceits,  with  red  and  black  paints  mingled  with  the  white  of 
the  wood. 

As  this  child  of  the  forest  approached  them,  the  whole 
party  stood  aside,  and  allowed  him  to  confront  the  object  of 
his  visit.  He  did  not  speak,  however,  but  stood  fixing  his 
glowing  eyes  on  the  shoulder  of  the  young  hunter,  an*d  then 
turning  them  intently  on  the  countenance  of  the  Judge. 
The  latter  was  a  good  deal  astonished  at  this  unusual  de 
parture  from  the  ordinarily  subdued  and  quiet  manner  of 
the  Indian  ;  but  he  extended  his  hand,  and  said,  — 

"  Thou  art  welcome,  John.  This  youth  entertains  a  high 
opinion  of  thy  skill,  it  seems,  for  he  prefers  thee  to  dress  his 
wound  even  to  our  good  friend,  Dr.  Todd." 

Mohegan  now  spoke,  in  tolerable  English,  but  in  a  low, 
monotonous,  guttural  tone  :  — 

"  The  children  of  Miquon  do  not  love  the  sight  of  blood 
and  yet  the  Young  Eagle  has  been  struck  by  the  hand  that 
should  do  no  evil !  " 

"  Mohegan  !  old  John  !  "  exclaimed  the  Judge,  "  thinkest 
thou  that  my  hand  has  ever  drawn  human  blood  willingly  ? 
For  shame  !  for  shame,  old  John  !  thy  religion  should  hava 
taught  thee  better." 

"  The  evil  spirit  sometimes  lives  in  the  best  heart,"  re- 
tnrned  John,  "  but  my  brother  speaks  the  truth ;  his  hand 
has  never  taken  life,  when  awake  ;  no  !  not  even  when  the 
sliL-iren  of  the  great  English  Father  were  making  the 
waters  red  with  the  blood  of  his  people." 

"  Surely,  John,"  said  Mr.  Grant,  with  much  earnestness, 
rememler  the  divine  command  of  our  Saviour, '  Judg« 


80  THE  PIONEERS. 

not,  lest  ye  be  judged.'  What  motive  c'/uid  Judge  Temple 
have  for  injuring  a  youth  like  this  ;  one  to  whom  he  is  un 
known,  and  from  whom  he  can  receive  neither  Injury  no? 
favor!" 

John  listened  respectfully  to  the  divine,  and  when  he  hai 
concluded,  he  stretched  out  his  arm,  and  said  with  energy,  — 

"  He  is  innocent ;  my  brother  has  not  done  this." 

Marmaduke  received  the  offered  hand  of  the  other  with 
a  smile,  that  showed,  however  he  might  be  astonished  at  his 
suspicion,  he  had  ceased  to  resent  it ;  while  the  -wounded 
youth  stood,  gazing  from  his  red  friend  to  his  host,  with  in 
terest  powerfully  delineated  in  his  countenance.  No  sooner 
was  this  act  of  pacification  exchanged,  than  John  proceeded 
to  discharge  the  duty  on  which  he  had  come.  Dr.  Todd 
was  far  from  manifesting  any  displeasure  at  this  invasion 
of  his  rights,  but  made  way  for  the  new  leech,  with  an  air 
that  expressed  a  willingness  to  gratify  the  humors  of  his  pa 
tient,  now  that  the  all-important  part  of  the  business  was 
so  successfully  performed,  and  nothing  remained  to  be  done 
but  what  any  child  might  effect.  Indeed,  he  whispered  as 
much  to  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  when  he  said,  — 

"  It  was  fortunate  that  the  ball  was  extracted  before  this 
Indian  came  in ;  but  any  old  woman  can  dress  the  wound. 
The  young  man,  I  hear,  lives  with  John  and  Natty  Bumppo, 
and  it's  always  best  to  humor  a  patient,  when  it  can  be  done 
discreetly  —  I  say,  discreetly,  Monsieur." 

"  Certain  ement,"  returned  the  Frenchman ;  "  you  seem 
ver  happy,  Mister  Todd,  in  your  pratique.  I  tink  the  elder 
lady  might  ver  well  finish  vat  you  so  skeelfully  begin." 

But  Richard  had,  at  the  bottom,  a  great  deal  of  venera 
tion  for  the  knowledge  of  Mohegan,  especially  in  external 
wounds  ;  and  retaining  all  his  desire  for  a  participation  in 
glory,  he  advanced  nigh  the  Indian,  and  said, — 

"  Sago,  sago,  Mohegan !  sago,  my  good  fellow !  I  am  glad 
you  have  come ;  give  me  a  regular  physician,  like  Dr.  Todd, 
to  cut  into  flesh,  and  a  native  to  heal  the  wound.  Do  you 
remember,  John,  the  time  when  I  and  you  set  the  bone  of 
Natty  Bumppo's  little,  finger,  after  he  broke  it  by  falling 
from  the  rock,  when  he  was  trying  to  get  the  partridge  that 


THE  PIONEERS.  81 

fell  on  the  cliffs.  I  never  could  tell  yet,  whether  it  was  T 
or  Natty  who  killed  that  bird  :  he  fired  first,  and  the  bird 
stooped,  and  then  it  was  rising  again  as  I  pulled  trigger.  1 
should  have  claimed  it,  for  a  certainty,  but  Natty  said  the 
hole  was  too  big  for  shot,  and  he  fired  a  single  ball  from 
his  rifle ;  but  the  piece  I  carried  then  didn't  scatter,  a?nd  I 
have  known  it  to  bore  a  hole  through  a  board,  when  I've 
been  shooting  at  a  mark,  very  much  like  rifle  bullets. 
Shall  I  help  you,  John  ?  You  know  I  have  a  knack  at 
these  things." 

Mohegan  heard  this  disquisition  quite  patiently,  and  when 
Richard  concluded,  he  held  out  the  basket  which  contained 
his  specifics,  indicating,  by  a  gesture,  that  he  might  hold  it. 
Mr.  Jones  was  quite  satisfied  with  this  commission ;  and, 
ever  after,  in  speaking  of  the  event,  was  used  to  say,  that 
"  Doctor  Todd  and  I  cut  out  the  bullet,  and  I  and  Indian 
John  dressed  the  wound." 

The  patient  was  much  more  deserving  of  that  epithet, 
while  under  the  hands  of  Mohegan,  than  while  suffering 
under  the  practice  of  the  physician.  Indeed,  the  Indian 
gave  him  but  little  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  a  for 
bearing  temper,  as  he  had  come  prepared  for  the  occasion. 
His  dressings  were  soon  applied,  and  consisted  only  of  some 
pounded  bark,  moistened  with  a  fluid  that  he  had  expressed 
from  some  of  the  simples  of  the  woods. 

Among  the  native  tribes  of  the  forest,  there  were  always 
two  kinds  of  leeches  to  be  met  with.  The  one  placed  its 
whole  dependence  on  the  exercise  of  a  supernatural  power, 
and  was  held  in  greater  veneration  than  their  practice  could 
at  all  justify ;  but  the  other  was  really  endowed  with  great 
skill  in  the  ordinary  complaints  of  the  human  body,  and 
was  more  particularly,  as  Natty  had  intimated,  "  cur'ous  in 
•juts  and  bruises." 

While  John  and  Richard  were  placing  the  dressings  on 
the  wound,  Elnathan  was  acutely  eying  the  contents  of 
Mohegan 's  basket,  which  Mr.  Jones,  in  his  physical  ardor 
had  transferred  to  the  Doctor,  in  order  to  hold,  himself,  one 
end  of  the  bandages.  Here  he  was  soon  enabled  to  detect 
i""*.dry  fragments  of  wood  and  bark,  of  which  ha  quite 


82  THE  PIONEERS. 

coolly  took  possession,  very  possibly  without  any  intention 
of  speaking  at  all  upon  the  subject ;  but  when  he  beheld  the 
full  blue  eye  of  Marmaduke  watching  his  movements,  he 
whispered  to  the  Judge,  — 

"  It  is  not  to  be  denied,  Judge  Temple,  but  what  the  sav 
ages  are  knowing  in  small  matters  of  physic.  They  hand 
these  things  down  in  their  traditions.  Now  in  cancers  and 
hydrophoby,  they  are  quite  ingenious.  I  will  just  take  this 
bark  home  and  analyze  it ;  for,  though  it  can't  be  worth  six 
pence  to  the  young  man's  shoulder,  it  may  be  good  for  the 
toothache,  or  rheumatism,  or  some  of  them  complaints.  A 
man  should  never  be  above  learning,  even  if  it  be  from  an 
Indian." 

It  was  fortunate  for  Dr.  Todd  that  his  principles  were  so 
liberal,  as,  coupled  with  his  practice,  they  were  the  means 
by  which  he  acquired  all  his  knowledge,  and  by  which  he 
was  gradually  qualifying  himself  for  the  duties  of  his  pro 
fession.  The  process  to  which  he  subjected  the  specific, 
differed,  however,  greatly  from  the  ordinary  rules  of  chemis 
try  ;  for,  instead  of  separating,  he  afterwards  united  the 
component  parts  of  Mohegan's  remedy,  and  thus  was  able 
to  discover  the  tree  whence  the  Indian  had  taken  it. 

Some  ten  years  after  this  event,  when  civilization  and  its 
refinements  had  crept,  or  rather  rushed,  into  the  settlements 
among  these  wild  hills,  an  affair  of  honor  occurred,  and  El- 
nathan  was  seen  to  apply  a  salve  to  the  wound  received  by 
one  of  the  parties,  which  had  the  fiavor  that  was  peculiar  to 
the  tree,  or  root,  that  Mohegan  had  used.  Ten  years  later 
still,  when  England  and  the  United  States  were  again  en 
gaged  in  war,  and  the  hordes  of  the  western  parts  of  ths 
State  of  New  York  were  rushing  to  the  field,  Elriathan,  pre 
suming  on  the  reputation  obtained  by  these  two  operations, 
followed  in  the  rear  of  a  brigade  of  militia  as  its  surgeon! 

When  Mohegan  had  applied  the  bark,  he  freely  relin 
quished  to  Richard  the  needle  and  thread  that  were  used  in 
sewing  the  bandages,  for  these  were  implements  of  which 
the  native  but  little  understood  the  use  ;  and,  stepping  back, 
decent  gravity,  awaited  the  completion  of  the  busineai 

the  other. 


THE   PIONEERS.  83 

"  Reach  me  the  scissors,"  said  Mr.  Jones,  when  he  had 
dnished,  and  finished  for  the  second  time,  after  tying  the 
inen  in  every  shape  and  form  that  it  could  be  placed; 
"  reach  me  the  scissors,  for  here  is  a  thread  that  must  be 
cut  off,  or  it  might  get  under  the  dressings,  and  inflame  the 
wound.  See,  John,  I  have  put  the  lint  I  scraped  between 
two  layers  of  the  linen  ;  for  though  the  bark  is  certainly 
best  for  the  flesh,  yet  the  lint  will  serve  to  keep  the  cold 
air  from  the  wound.  If  any  lint  will  do  it  good,  it  is  this 
lint ;  I  scraped  it  myself,  and  I  will  not  turn  my  back  at 
scraping  lint  to  any  man  on  the  Patent.  I  ought  to  know 
how,  if  anybody  ought,  for  my  grandfather  was  a  doctor, 
and  my  father  had  a  natural  turn  that  way." 

"  Here,  Squire,  is  the  scissors,"  said  Remarkable,  -produo 
ing  from  beneath  her  petticoat  of  green  moreen  a  pair  of 
dull-looking  shears ;  "  well,  upon  my  say-so,  you  have 
sewed  on  the  rags  as  well  as  a  woman." 

"  As  well  as  a  woman  ! "  echoed  Richard,  with  indignation, 
"  what  do  women  know  of  such  matters  ?  and  you  are  proof 
of  the  truth  of  what  I  say.  Who  ever  saw  such  a  pair  of 
shears  used  about  a  wound  ?  Dr.  Todd,  I  will  thank  you  for 
the  scissors  from  the  case.  Now,  young  man,  I  think  you'll 
do.  The  shot  has  been  very  neatly  taken  out,  although 
perhaps,  seeing  I  had  a  hand  in  it,  I  ought  not  to  say  so ; 
and  the  wound  is  admirably  dressed.  You  will  soon  be 
well  again  ;  though  the  jerk  you  gave  my  leaders  must 
have  a  tendency  to  inflame  the  shoulder,  yet  you  will  do, 
you  will  do.  You  were  rather  flurried,  I  suppose,  and  nat 
used  to  horses ;  but  I  forgive  the  accident  for  the  motive  : 
no  doubt  you  had  the  best  of  motives  ;  yes,  now  you  will 
do." 

"  Then,  gentlemen,"  said  the  wounded  stranger,  rising, 
and  resuming  his  clothes,  "  it  will  be  unnecessary  for  me 
to  trespass  longer  on  your  time  and  patience.  There  re 
mains  but  one  thing  more  to  be  settled,  and  that  is,  our 
respective  rights  to  the  deer,  Judge  Temple." 

"I  acknowledge  it  to  be  thine,"  said  Marmaduke  ;  "and 
much  more  deeply  am  I  indebted  to  thee  than  for  this  piece 
of  venison.  But  in  the  morning  thou  wilt  call  here,  and 


84  THE   PIONEERS. 

we  can  adjust  this,  as  \\ell  as  more  important  matters. 
Elizabeth,"  —  for  the  young  lady,  being  apprised  that  the 
wound  was  dressed,  had  reentered  the  hall,  —  "  thou  wilt 
order  a  repast  for  this  youth  before  we  proceed  to  the 
church ;  and  Aggy  will  have  a  sleigh  prepared,  to  convey 
him  to  his  friend." 

"  But,  sir,  I  cannot  go  without  a  part  of  the  deer,"  re 
turned  the  youth,  seemingly  struggling  with  his  cwn  feel 
ings;  "I  have  already  told  you  that  I  needed  the  venison 
for  myself." 

"  O !  we  will  not  be  particular,"  exclaimed  Richard ; 
"  the  Judge  will  pay  you  in  the  morning  for  the  whole 
deer  ;  and  Remarkable,  give  the  lad  all  the  animal  except 
ing  the  saddle  ;  so,  on  the  whole,  I  think  you  may  consider 
yourself  as  a  very  lucky  young  man  ;  you  have  been  shot 
without  being  disabled  ;  have  had  the  wound  dressed  in  the 
best  possible  manner  here  in  the  woods,  as  well  as  it  would 
have  been  done  in  the  Philadelphia  hospital,  if  not  better  ; 
have  sold  your  deer  at  a  high  price,  and  yet  can  keep  most 
of  the  carcass,  with  the  skin  in  the  bargain.  'Marky,  tell 
Tom  to  give  him  the  skin,  too  ;  and  in  the  morning  bring 
the  skin  to  me,  and  I  will  give  you  half  a  dollar  for  it,  or 
at  least  three  and  sixpence.  I  want  just  such  a  skin  to 
cover  the  pillion  that  I  am  making  for  cousin  Bess." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,  for  your  liberality,  and,  I  trust,  am 
also  thankful  for  my  escape,"  returned  the  stranger ;  "  but 
you  reserve  the  very  part  of  the  animal  that  I  wished  for 
my  own  use.  I  must  have  the  saddle  myself." 

"  Must ! "  echoed  Richard  ;  "  must  is  harder  to  be  swal 
lowed  than  the  horns  of  the  buck." 

"  Yes,  must,"  repeated  the  youth :  when,  turning  hia 
head  proudly  around  him,  as  if  to  see  who  would  dare  to 
controvert  his  rights,  he  met  the  astonished  gaze  of  Eliza 
beth,  and  proceeded  more  mildly,  "  that  is,  if  a  man  is 
allowed  the  possession  of  that  which  his  hand  hath  killed, 
%nd  the  law  will  protect  him  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  own." 

"  The  law  will  do  so,"  said  Judge  Temple,  with  an  air  of 
mortification  mingled  with  surprise.  "  Benjamin,  see  that 
the  whole  deer  is  placed  in  the  sleigh ;  and  have  this  youth 


THE  PIONEERS.  85 

conveyed  to  the  hut  of  Leather-Stocking.  But,  young 
man,  thou  hast  a  name,  and  I  shall  see  you  again,  in  order 
to  compensate  thee  for  the  wrong  I  have  done  thee  ?  " 

"  I  am  called  Edwards,"  returned  the  hunter ;  "  Oliver 
Edwards.  I  am  easily  to  be  seen,  sir,  for  I  live  nigh  by, 
and  am  not  afraid  to  show  my  face,  having  never  injured  any 
man." 

"  It  is  we  who  have  injured  you,  sir,"  said  Elizabeth ; 
"  and  the  knowledge  that  you  decline  our  assistance  would 
give  my  father  great  pain.  He  would  gladly  see  you  in 
the  morning." 

The  young  hunter  gazed  at  the  fair  speaker  until  his 
earnest  look  brought  the  blood  to  her  temples ;  when, 
recollecting  himself,  he  bent  his  head,  dropping  his  eyes  to 
the  carpet,  and  replied,  — 

"In  the  morning,  then,  will  I  return,  and  see  Judge 
Temple ;  and  I  will  accept  his  offer  of  the  sleigh  in  token 
of  amity." 

"  Amity  ! "  repeated  Marmaduke  ;  "  there  was  no  malice 
in  the  act  that  injured  thee,  young  man ;  there  should  be 
none  in  the  feelings  which  it  may  engender." 

"  Forgive  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass 
against  us,"  observed  Mr.  Grant,  "  is  the  language  used  by 
our  Divine  Master  himself,  and  it  should  be  the  golden  rule 
of  us,  his  humble  followers." 

The  stranger  stood  a  moment,  lost  in  thought,  and  then 
glancing  his  dark  eyes  rather  wildly  around  the  hall,  he 
bowed  low  to  the  divine,  and  moved  from  the  apartment, 
with  an  air  that  would  not  admit  of  detention. 

"'Tis  strange  that  one  so  young  should  harbor  such  feel 
ings  of  resentment,"  said  Marmaduke,  when  the  door  closed 
behind  the  stranger ;  "  but  while  the  pain  is  recent,  and 
the  sense  of  the  injury  so  fresh,  he  must  feel  more  strongly 
than  in  cooler  moments.  I  doubt  not  we  shall  see  him  in 
the  morning  more  tractable." 

Elizabeth,  to  whom  this  speech  was  addressed,  did  not 
reply,  but  moved  slowly  up  the  hall,  by  herself,  fixing  her 
eyes  on  the  little  figure  of  the  English  ingrained  carpet  that 
covered  the  floor ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  Richard  gave 


86  THE   PIONEERS. 

a  loud   crack  with  his  whip,  as  the  stranger  disappeared, 
and  cried,  — 

"  Well,  'Duke,  you  are  your  own  master,  but  I  would 
have  tried  law  for  the  saddle,  before  I  would  have  given  it 
to  the  fellow.  Do  you  not  own  the  mountains  as  well  as 
the  valleys  ?  are  not  the  woods  your  own  ?  what  right  has 
this  chap,  or  the  Leather-Stocking,  to  shoot  in  your  woods, 
without  your  permission  ?  Now,  I  have  known  a  farmer 
in  Pennsylvania  order  a  sportsman  off  his  farm  with  as 
little  ceremony  as  I  would  order  Benjamin  to  put  a  log  in 
the  stove.  By  the  bye,  Benjamin,  see  how  the  thermometer 
stands.  Now,  if  a  man  has  a  right  to  do  this  on  a  farm  of 
a  hundred  acres,  what  power  must  a  landlord  have  who 
owns  sixty  thousand  —  aye,  for  the  matter  of  that,  including 
the  late  purchases,  a  hundred  thousand  ?  There  is  Mohegan. 
to  be  sure,  he  may  have  some  right,  being  a  native  ;  but 
it's  little  the-  poor  fellow  can  do  now  with  his  rifle.  How 
is  this  managed  in  France,  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  ?  Do  you 
let  everybody  run  over  your  land  in  that  country,  helter- 
skelter,  as  they  do  here,  shooting  the  game,  so  that  a  gen 
tleman  has  but  little  or  no  chance  with  his  gun  ?  " 

"  Bah !  diable,  no,  Meester  Deeck,"  replied  the  French 
man  ;  "  we  give,  in  France,  no  liberty,  except  to  the  ladi." 

"  Yes,  yes,  to  the  women,  I  know,"  said  Richard,  "  that 
is  your  Salic  law.  I  read,  sir,  all  kinds  of  books ;  of 
France,  as  well  as  England  ;  of  Greece,  as  well  ^s  Rome. 
But  if  I  were  in  'Duke's  place,  I  would  stick  up  advertise 
ments  to-morrow  morning,  forbidding  all  persons  to  shoot/ 
or  trespass  in  any  manner,  on  my  woods.  I  could  write 
such  an  advertisement  myself,  in  an  hour,  as  would  put  a 
stop  to  the  thing  at  once." 

"  Richart,"  said  Major  Hartmann,  very  coolly  knocking 
the  ashes  from  his  pipe  into  the  spitting-box  by  his  side. 
"now  listen;  1  have  livet  seventy-five  years  on  tcr  Mo 
hawk,  and  in  ter  woots.  You  hat  petter  mettle  as  rait  to 
ileyvel,  as  mit  ter  hunters.  Tey  live  mit  ter  gun,  and  n 
rifle  is  petter  as  ter  law." 

"  Ain't  Marmaduke  a  judge  ?"  said  Richard  indignantly 
11  Where  is  the  use  of  being  a  jud^e,  or  having  a  judge,  i/ 


THE  PIONEERS.  87 

there  is  no  law  ?  Damn  the  fellow  !  I  have  a  great  mind 
to  sue  him  in  the  morning  myself,  before  Squire  Doolittle, 
for  meddling  with  my  leaders.  I  am  not  afraid  of  his  rifle. 
I  can  shoot  too.  If  have  hit  a  dollar  many  a  time  at  fifty 
rods." 

"  Thou  hast  missed  more  dollars  than  ever  thou  hast  hit, 
Dickon,"  exclaimed  the  cheerful  voice  of  the  Jud^e.  "  But 
we  will  now  take  our  evening's  repast,  which,  I  perceive  by 
Remarkable's  physiognomy,  is  ready.  Monsieur  Le  Quoi, 
Miss  Temple  has  a  hand  at  your  service.  Will  you  lead 
the  way,  my  child  ?  " 

"  Ah !  ma  chere  Mam'selle,  comme  je  suis  enchante  ! " 
said  the  Frenchman.  "  II  ne  manque  que  les  dames  de 
faire  un  paradis  de  Templeton." 

Mr.  Grant  and  Mohegan  continued  in  the  hall,  while  the 
remainder  of  the  party  withdrew  to  an  eating  parlor,  if  we 
except  Benjamin,  who  civilly  remained,  to  close  the  rear 
after  the  clergyman,  and  to  open  the  front  door  for  the  exit 
of  the  Indian. 

"  John,"  said  the  divine,  when  the  figure  of  Judge  Temple 
disappeared,  the  last  of  the  group,  "  to-morrow  is  the  festival 
of  the  nativity  of  our  blessed  Redeemer,  when  the  Church 
has  appointed  prayers  and  thanksgivings  to  be  offered  up  by 
her  children,  and  when  all  are  invited  to  partake  of  the 
mystical  elements.  As  you  have  taken  up  the  cross,  and 
become  a  follower  of  good  and  an  eschewer  of  evil,  I  trust 
I  shall  see  you  before  the  altar,  with  a  contrite  heart  and 
a  meek  spirit." 

"John  will  come,"  said  the  Indian,  betraying  no  surprise  ; 
though  he  did  not  understand  all  the  terms  used  by  the 
other. 

"  Yes,"  continued  Mr.  Grant,  laying  his  hand  gently  on 
the  tawny  shoulder  of  the  aged  chief,  "  but  it  is  not  enough 
to  be  there  in  the  body  ;  you  must  come  in  the  spirit  and 
in  truth.  The  Redeemer  died  for  all,  for  the  poor  Indian 
us  well  as  for  the  white  man.  Heaven  knows  no  difference 
in  color  ;  nor  must  earth  witness  a  separation  of  the  Church. 
It  is  good  and  profitable,  John,  to  freshen  the  understand 
ing,  and  support'  the  wavering,  by  the  observance  of  our 


88  THE  PIONEERS. 

holy  festivals ;  but  all  form  is  but  stench  in  the  nostrils  of 
the  Holy  One,  unless  it  be  accompanied  by  a  devout  and 
humble  spirit." 

The  Indian  stepped  back  a  little,  and,  raising  his  body 
to  its  utmost  powers  of  erection,  he  stretched  his  right  arm 
on  high,  and  dropped  his  fore-finger  downward,  as  if  point 
ing  from  the  heavens,  then  striking  his  other  hand  on  his 
naked  breast,  he  said,  with  energy,  — 

"  The  eye  of  the  ^reat  Spirit  can  see  from  the  clouds ; 
the  bosom  of  Mohegan  is  bare  ! " 

"  It  is  well,  John  ind  1  hope  you  will  receive  profit  and 
consolation  from  the  performance  of  this  duty.  The  Great 
Spirit  overlooks  none  of  his  children ;  and  the  man  of  the 
woods  is  as  much  an  object  of  his  care  as  he  who  dwells  in 
a  palace.  I  wish  you  a  good  night,  and  pray  God  to  bless 
you." 

The  Indian  bent  his  head,  and  they  separated,  the  one  to 
seek  his  hut,  and  the  other  to  join  the  party  at  the  supper- 
table.  While  Benjamin  was  opening  the  door  -for  tha 
passage  of  the  chief,  he  cried,  in  a  tone  that  was  meant  to 
be  encouraging :  — 

"  The  parson  says  the  word  that  is  true,  John.  If-so-be 
that  they  took  count  of  the  color  of  the  skin  in  heaven,  why, 
they  might  refuse  to  muster  on  their  books  a  Christian- 
born,  like  myself,  just  for  the  matter  of  a  little  tan,  from 
cruising  in  warm  latitudes  ;  though,  for  the  matter  of  that, 
this  damned  nor' wester  is  enough  to  whiten  the  skin  of  a 
blackamore.  Let  the  reef  out  of  your  blanket,  man,  01 
your  red  hide  will  hardly  weather  the  night,  without  a  touch 
from  the  frost'' 


THE  PIONEERS.  59 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

F  M-  here  the  exile  met  from  every  clime, 
Afld  spoke,  in  friendship,  every  distant  tongue 

CAMPBELL. 

hs.ve  made  our  readers  acquainted  with  some  variety 
in  character  and  nations,  in  introducing  the  most  important 
personals  of  this  legend  to  their  notice  :  but,  in  order  to 
establish  the  fidelity  of  our  narrative,  we  shall  briefly 
attempt  to  explain  the  reason  why  we  have  been  obliged  to 
present  so  motley  a  dramatis  persona?.1 

Europe,  at  the  period  of  our  tale,  was  in  the  commence 
ment  of  that  commotion  which  afterwards  shook  her  political 
institutions  to  the  centre.  Louis  the  Sixteenth  had  been 
beheaded,  and  a  nation  once  esteemed  the  most  refined 
among  the  civilized  people  of  the  world,  was  changing  its 
character,  and  substituting  cruelty  for  mercy,  and  subtlety 
and  ferocity  for  magnanimity  and  courage.  Thousands  of 
Frenchmen  were  compelled  to  seek  protection  in  distant 
lands.  Among  the  crowds  who  fled  from  France  and  her 
\slands,  to  the  United  States  of  America,  was  the  gentleman 
whom  we  have  already  mentioned  as  Monsieur  Le  Quoi. 
He  had  been  recommended  to  the  favor  of  Judge  Temple, 
by  the  head  of  an  eminent  mercantile  house  in  New 
Fork,  with  whom  Marmaduke  was  in  habits  of  intimacy, 
and  accustomed  to  exchange  good  offices.  At  his  first 
interview  with  the  Frenchman,  our  Judge  had  discovered 
aim  to  be  a  man  of  breeding,  and  one  who  had  seen  much 
more  prosperous  days  in  his  own  country.  From  certain 
hints  that  had  escaped  him,  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  was  suspected 
of  having  been  a  West-India  planter,  great  numbers  of 
whom  had  fled  from  St.  Domingo  and  the  other  islands,  and 
were  now  living  in  the  Union,  in  a  state  of  comparative 

1     Son    AnrvnnrliT      Vnfa    H 


DO  THE  PIONEERS. 

poverty,  and  some  in  absolute  want.  The  latter  was  not» 
however,  the  lot  of  Monsieur  Le  Quoi.  He  had  but  little, 
he  acknowledged ;  but  that  little  was  enough  to  furnish,  in 
the  language  of  the  country,  an  assortment  for  a  store. 

The  knowledge  of  Marmaduke  was  eminently  practical 
and  there  was  no  part  of  a  settler's  life  with  which  he  was 
not  familiar.  Under  his  direction,  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  made 
some  purchases,  consisting  of  a  few  cloths ;  some  groceries, 
with  a  good  deal  of  gunpowder  and  tobacco  ;  a  quantity  of 
iron  ware,  among  which  was  a  large  proportion  of  Barlow'a 
jack-knives,  potash-kettles,  and  spiders  ;  a  very  formidable 
collection  of  crockery,  of  the  coarsest  quality  and  most 
uncouth  forms  ;  together  with  every  other  common  article 
that  the  art  of  man  has  devised  for  his  wants,  not  forgetting 
the  luxuries  of  looking-glasses  and  Jews'-harps.  With  this 
collection  of  valuables,  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  had  stepped  be 
hind  a  counter,  and,  with  a  wonderful  pliability  of  tempera 
ment,  had  dropped  into  his  assumed  character  as  gracefully 
as  he  had  ever  moved  in  any  other.  The  gentleness  and 
Buavity  of  his  manners  rendered  him  extremely  popular; 
besides  this,  the  women  soon  discovered  that  he  had  a  taste. 
His  calicoes  were  the  finest,  or,  in  other  words,  the  most 
showy,  of  any  that  were  brought  into  the  country ;  and  it 
was  impossible  to  look  at  the  prices  asked  for  his  goods  by 
"  so  pretty  a  spoken  man."  Through  these  conjoint  means, 
the  affairs  of  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  were  again  in  a  prosperous 
condition,  and  he  was  looked  up  to  by  the  settlers  as  the 
second-best  man  on  the  "  Patent." 

The  term  "  Patent,"  which  we  have  already  used,  and 
for  which  we  may  have  further  occasion,  meant  the  district 
of  country  that  had  been  originally  granted  to  old  Major 
Eirmgham  by  the  "  king's  letters  patent,"  and  which  had 
now  become,  by  purchsae  under  the  act  of  confiscation,  the 
property  of  Marmaduke  Temple.  It  was  a  term  in  common 
use  thro  ighout  the  new  parts  of  the  State ;  and  was  usually 
annexed  to  the  landlord's  name,  as  "  Temple's  or  Effingham's 
Patent." 

Majof  Hartmann  was  the  descendant  of  a  man  who,  in 
company  with  a  number  of  his  countrymen,  had  emigrated, 


THE  PIONEERS.  91 

with  their  families,  from  the  banks  of  the  Rhine  to  those 
of  the  Mohawk.  This  migration  had  occurred  as  far  back 
as  the  reig'i  of  Queen  Anne ;  and  their  descendants  were 
now  living  in  great  peace  and  plenty,  on  the  fertile  bor 
ders  of  that  beautiful  stream. 

The  Germans,  or  "  High  Dutchers,"  as  they  were  called, 
to  distinguish  them  from  the  original  or  Low  Dutch  colo 
nists,  were  a  very  peculiar  people.  They  possessed  all 
the  gravity  of  the  latter,  without  any  of  their  phlegm ; 
and,  like  them,  the  "  High  Dutchers "  were  industrious, 
honest,  and  economical. 

Fritz,  or  Frederick  Hartmann,  was  an  epitome  of  all 
the  vices  and  virtues,  foibles  and  excellences,  of  his  race. 
He  was  passionate,  though  silent,  obstinate,  and  a  good 
deal  suspicious  of  strangers  ;  of  immovable  courage,  inflex 
ible  honesty,  and  undeviating  hi  his  friendships.  Indeed, 
there  was  no  change  about  him,  unless  it  were  from  grave 
to  gay.  He  was  serious  by  months,  and  jolly  by  weeks. 
He  had,  early  in  their  acquaintance,  formed  an  attachment 
for  Marmaduke  Temple,  who  was  the  only  man  that  could 
not  speak  High  Dutch  that  ever  gained  his  entire  confi 
dence.  Four  times  in  each  year,  at  periods  equidistant, 
he  left  his  low  stone  dwelling,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mo 
hawk,  and  travelled  thirty  miles,  through  the  hills,  to  the 
door  of  the  Mansion-house  in  Templeton.  Here  he  gener 
ally  stayed  a  week ;  and  was  reputed  to  spend  much  of 
that  time  in  riotous  living,  greatly  countenanced  by  Mr. 
Richard  Jones.  But  every  one  loved  him,  even  to  Re 
markable  Pettibone,  to  whom  he  occasioned  some  additional 
trouble  ;  he  was  so  frank,  so  sincere,  and,  at  times,  so  mirth 
ful.  He  was  now  on  his  regular  Christmas  visit,  and  had 
not  been  in  the  village  an  hour  when  Richard  summoned 
him  to  fill  a  seat  in  the  sleigh,  to  meet  the  landlord  and 
ais  daughter. 

Before  explaining  the  character  and  situation  of  Mr. 
Grant,  it  will  be  necessary  to  recur  to  times  far  back  ir 
the  brief  history  of  the  settlement. 

There  seems  to  be  a  tendency  in  human  nature  to  en« 
deavor  to  provide  for  the  wants  of  this  world,  before  oui 


92  THE  PIONEERS. 

attention  is  turned  to  the  business  of  the  other.  Religion 
was  a  quality  but  little  cultivated  amid  the  stumps  of  Tem 
ple's  Patent  for  the  first  few  years  of  its  settlement ;  but, 
as  most  of  its  inhabitants  were  from  the  moral  States  of 
Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  when  the  wants  of  nature 
were  satisfied,  they  began  seriously  to  turn  their  attention 
to  the  introduction  of  those  customs  and  observances  which 
had  been  the  principal  care  of  their  forefathers.  There 
was  certainly  a  great  variety  of  opinions  on  the  subject  of 
grace  and  free-will  among  the  tenantry  of  Marmaduke ; 
and,  when  we  take  into  consideration  the  variety  of  the 
religious  instruction  which  they  received,  it  can  easily  be 
seen  that  it  could  not  well  be  otherwise. 

Soon  after  the  village  had  been  formally  laid  out  into 
the  streets  and  blocks  that  resembled  a  city,  a  meeting  of 
its  inhabitants  had  been  convened,  to  take  into  considera 
tion  the  propriety  of  establishing  an  academy.  This  meas 
ure  originated  with  Richard,  who,  in  truth,  was  much 
disposed  to  have  the  institution  designated  a  university,  or 
at  least  a  college.  Meeting  after  meeting  was  held,  for 
this  purpose,  year  after  year.  The  "  resolutions  "  of  these 
assemblages  appeared  in  the  most  conspicuous  columns  of 
a  little,  blue-looking  newspaper,  that  was  already  issued 
weekly  from  the  garret  of  a  dwelling-house  in  the  village, 
and  which  the  traveller  might  as  often  see  stuck  into  the 
fissure  of  a  stake,  erected  at  the  point  where  the  footpath 
from  the  log-cabin  of  some  settler  entered  the  highway,  as 
a  post-office  for  an  individual.  Sometimes  the  stake  sup- 1 
ported  a  small  box,  and  a  whole  neighborhood  received  a 
,veekly  supply  for  their  literary  wants,  at  this  point,  where 
the  man  who  "  rides  post "  regularly  deposited  a  bundle 
of  the  precious  commodity.  To  these  flourishing  resolu 
tions,  which  briefly  recounted  the  general  utility  of  educa 
tion,  the  political  and  geographical  rights  of  the  village  of 
Templeton  to  a  participation  in  the  favors  of  the  regents 
of  the  university,  the  salubrity  of  the  air,  and  wholesome- 
ness  of  the  water,  together  with  the  cheapness  of  food  and 
the  superior  state  of  morals  in  the  neighborhood,  were 
uniformly  annexed,  in  large  Roman  capitals,  the  names  of 


THE  PIONEERS.  93 

Marmaduke  Temple  as  chairman,  and  Richard  Jones  aa 
secretary. 

Happily  for  the  success  of  this  undertaking,  the  regents 
were  not  accustomed  to  resist  these  appeals  to  their  gener 
osity,  whenever  there  was  the  smallest  prospect  of  a  dona 
tion  to  second  the  request.  Eventually  Judge  Temple 
concluded  to  bestow  the  necessary  land,  and  to  erect  the 
required  edifice  at  his  own  expense.  The  skill  of  Mr.>  or, 
as  he  was  now  called,  from  the  circumstance  of  having 
received  the  commission  of  a  justice  of  the  peace,  Squire 
Doolittle,  was  again  put  in  requisition ;  and  the  science  of 
Mr.  Jones  was  once  more  resorted  to. 

We  shall  not  recount  the  different  devices  of  the  archi 
tects  on  the  occasion ;  nor  would  it  be  decorous  so  to  do, 
seeing  that  there  was  a  convocation  of  the  society  of  the 
ancient  and  honorable  fraternity  "  of  the  Free  and  Ac 
cepted  Masons,"  at  the  head  of  whom  was  Richard,  in  the 
capacity  of  master,  doubtless  to  approve  or  reject  such  of 
the  plans  as,  in  their  wisdom,  they  deemed  to  be  for  the 
best.  The  knotty  point  was,  however,  soon  decided  ;  and, 
on  the  appointed  day,  the  brotherhood  marched  in  great 
state,  displaying  sundry  banners  and  mysterious  symbols, 
each  man  with  a  little  mimic  apron  before  him,  from  a 
most  cunningly  contrived  apartment  in  the  garret  of  the 
"  Bold  Dragoon,"  an  inn  kept,  by  one  Captain  Hollister, 
to  the  site  of  the  intended  edifice.  Here  Richard  laid  the 
corner-stone,  with  suitable  gravity,  amidst  an  assemblage 
of  more  than  half  the  men,  and  all  the  women,  within  ten 
miles  of  Templeton. 

In  the  course  of  the  succeeding  week  there  was  another 
meeting  of  the  people,  not  omitting  swarms  of  the  gentler 
BOX,  when  the  abilities  of  Hiram  at  the  "  square  rule  " 
were  put  to  the  test  of  experiment.  The  frame  fitted 
vrell ;  and  the  skeleton  of  the  fabric  was  reared  without  a 
single  accident,  if  we  except  a  few  falls  from  horses  while 
the  laborers  were  returning  home  in  the  evening.  From 
this  time  the  work  advanced  with  great  rapidity,  and  in 
the  course  of  th^  season  the  labor  was  completed  ;  the  edi 
fice  standing,  in  all  its  beauty  and  proportions,  the  boast 


94  THE   PIONEERS. 

of  the  Tillage,  the  study  of  young  aspirants  for  archi 
tectural  fame,  and  the  admiration  of  every  settler  on  the 
Patent. 

It  was  a  long,  narrow  house  of  wood,  painted  white,  and 
more  than  half  windows ;  and  when  the  observer  stood  at 
the  western  side  of  the  building,  the  edifice  offered  but  a 
email  obstacle  to  a  full  view  of  the  rising  sun.  It  was,  iu 
truth,  but  a  very  comfortless  open  place,  through  which 
the  daylight  shone  with  natural  facility.  On  its  front  were 
divers  ornaments  in  wood,  designed  by  Richard,  and  exe 
cuted  by  Hiram ;  but  a  window  in  the  centre  of  the  sec- 
ond  story,  immediately  over  the  door  or  grand  entrance, 
and  the  "  steeple,"  were  the  pride  of  the  building.  The 
former  was,  we  believe,  of  the  composite  order ;  for  it  in 
cluded  in  its  composition  a  multitude  of  ornaments,  and  a 
great  variety  of  proportions.  It  consisted  of  an  arched 
compartment  in  the  centre,  with  a  square  and  small  divis 
ion  on  either  side,  the  whole  encased  in  heavy  frames, 
deeply  and  laboriously  moulded  in  pine-wood,  and  lighted 
with  a  vast  number  of  blurred  and  green-looking  glass,  of 
those  dimensions  which  are  commonly  called  "  eight  by 
ten."  Blinds,  that  were  intended  to  be  painted  green, 
kept  the  window  in  a  state  of  preservation ;  and  probably 
might  have  contributed  to  the  effect  of  the  whole,  had  not 
the  failure  in  the  public  funds,  which  seems  always  to  be 
incidental  to  any  undertaking  of  this  kind,  left  them  in  the 
sombre  coat  of  lead  color  with  which  they  had  been  origi-  . 
nally  clothed.  The  "  steeple "  was  a  little  cupola,  reared 
on  the  very  centre  of  the  roof,  on  four  tall  pillars  of  pine, 
that  were  fluted  with  a  gouge,  and  loaded  with  mouldings. 
On  the  tops  of  the  columns  was  reared  a  dome  or  cupola, 
resembling  in  shape  an  inverted  tea-cup,  without  its  bot 
tom,  from  the  centre  of  which  projected  a  spire,  or  shaft 
of  wood,  transfixed  with  two  iron  rods,  that  bore  on  theii 
ends  the  letters  N.  8.  E.  and  W.  in  the  same  metal.  The 
whole  was  surmounted  by  an  imitation  of  one  of  the  iinny 
tribe,  carved  in  wood  by  the  hands  of  Richard,  and  painted 
what  he  called  a  "  scale-color."  This  animal  Mr.  Jones 
affirmed  to  be  an  admirable  resemblance  of  a  great  favor 


THE  PIONEEKS.  95 

ite  of  the  Of Acures  in  that  country,  which  bore  the  title  of 
"  lake-fish ; "  and  doubtless  the  assertion  was  true ;  for, 
although  intended  to  answer  the  purposes  of  a  weather 
cock,  the  fish  was  observed  invariably  to  look,  with  a  long 
ing  eye,  in  the  direction  of  the  beautiful  sheet  of  water 
that  lay  imbedded  in  the  mountains  of  Templeton. 

For  a  short  time  after  the  charter  of  the  regents  was  re 
ceived,  the  trustees  of  this  institution  employed  a  graduate 
of  one  of  the  eastern  colleges,  to  instruct  such  youth  as  as 
pired  to  knowledge,  within  the  walls  of  the  edifice  which 
we  have  described.  The  upper  part  of  the  building  was  in 
one  apartment,  and  was  intended  for  gala-days  and  exhibi 
tions  ;  and  the  lower  contained  two  rooms,  that  were  in 
tended  for  the  great  divisions  of  education,  namely,  the 
Latin  and  the  English  scholars.  The  former  were  never 
very  numerous ;  though  the  sounds  of  "  nominative,  pennaa, 
genitive,  penny"  were  soon  heard  to  issue  from  the  windows 
of  the  room,  to  the  great  delight  and  manifest  edification  of 
the  passenger. 

Only  one  laborer  in  this  temple  of  Minerva,  however, 
wao  known  to  get  so  far  as  to  attempt  a  translation  of  Vir 
gil.  He,  indeed,  appeared  at  the  annual  exhibition,  to  the 
prodigious  exultation  of  all  his  relatives,  a  farmer's  family 
in  the  vicinity,  and  repeated  the  whole  of  the  first  eclogue 
fix>m  memory,  observing  the  intonations  of  the  dialogue 
with  much  judgment  and  effect.  The  sounds,  as  they  pro 
ceeded  from  his  mouth,  of — 

"Titty-ree  too  patty-lee  ree-coo-baus  sub  teg-mi-nee  faa-gy 
Syl-ves-trem  ten-oo-i  moo-sam,  med-i-taa-ria,  aa-ve-ny "  — 

were  the  last  that  had  been  heard  in  that  building,  as  prob 
ably  they  were  the  first  that  had  ever  been  heard,  in  the 
same  language,  there  or  anywhere  else.  By  this  time  the 
trustees  discovered  that  they  had  anticipated  the  age,  and 
tiie  instructor,  or  principal,  was  superseded  by  a  master,  who 
went  on  to  teach  the  more  humble  lesson  of  "the  more 
haste  the  worse  speed,"  in  good  plain  English. 

From  this  time,  until  the  date  of  our  incidents,  the 
academy  was  a  common  country  school,  and  the  great  room 
\>f  the  building  was  sometimes  used  as  a  court-room,  on  ei> 


96  THE  PIONEEKS. 

traordinary  trials ;  sometimes  for  conferences  of  the  relig 
ious  and  the  morally  disposed,  in  the  evening;  at  others 
for  a  ball,  in  the  afternoon,  given  under  the  auspices  of 
Richard ;  and  on  Sundays,  invariably,  as  a  place  of  public 
worship. 

When  an  itinerant  priest  of  the  persuasion  of  the  Meth 
odists,  Baptists,  Universalists,  or  of  the  more  numerous  sect 
of  the  Presbyterians,  was  accidentally  in  the  neighborhood, 
he  was  ordinarily  invited  to  officiate,  and  was  commonly 
rewarded  for  his  services  by  a  collection  in  a  hat,  before  the 
congregation  separated.  When  no  such  regular  minister 
offered,  a  kind  of  colloquial  prayer  or  two  was  made  by 
some  of  the  more  gifted  members,  and  a  sermon  was  usually 
read,  from  Sterne,  by  Mr.  Richard  Jones. 

The  consequence  of  this  desultory  kind  of  priesthood 
was,  as  we  have  already  intimated,  a  great  diversity  of  opin 
ion  on  the  more  abstruse  points  of  faith.  Each  sect  had 
its  adherents,  though  neither  was  regularly  organized  and 
disciplined.  Of  the  religious  education  of  Marmaduke  wo 
have  already  written,  nor  was  the  doubtful  character  of 
his  faith  completely  removed  by  his  marriage.  The  mother 
of  Elizabeth  was  an  Episcopalian,  as,  indeed,  was  the 
mother  of  the  Judge  himself;  and  the  good  taste  of  Mar 
maduke  revolted  at  the  familiar  colloquies  which  the  lead 
ers  of  the  conferences  held  with  the  Deity,  in  their  nightly 
meetings.  In  form,  he  was  certainly  an  Episcopalian, 
though  not  a  sectary  of  that  denomination.  On  the  other 
hand,  Richard  was  as  rigid  in  the  observance  of  the  canons  ' 
of  his  church  as  he  was  inflexible  in  his  opinions.  Indeed. 
he  had  once  or  twice  essayed  to  introduce  the  Episcopal 
form  of  service,  on  the  Sundays  that  the  pulpit  was  va 
cant  ;  but  Richard  was  a  good  deal  addicted  to  carrying 
things  to  an  excess,  and  then  there  was  something  so  papal 
in  his  air,  that  the  greater  part  of  his  hearers  deserted  him 
on  the  second  Sabbath ;  on  the  third  his  only  auditor  was 
Ben  Pump,  who  had  all  the  obstinate  and  enlightened 
orthodoxy  of  a  High  Churchman. 

Before  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  the  English  Church 
w&s  supported,  in  the  colonies,  with  much  interest,  by  some 


THE  PIONEERS.  97 

of  its  adherents  in  the  mother  country,  and  a  few  of  the 
congregations  \\  ere  very  amply  endowed.  But,  for  a  sea 
son,  after  the  independence  of  the  States  was  established, 
this  sect  of  Christians  languished,  for  the  want  of  the  high 
est  order  of  its  priesthood.  Pious  and  suitable  divines  were 
at  length  selected,  and  sent  to  the  mother  country,  to  re 
ceive  that  authority,  which,  it  is  understood,  can  only  be 
transmitted  directly  from  one  to  the  other,  and  thus  obtain, 
in  order  to  preserve,  that  unity  in  their  churches,  which 
properly  belonged  to  a  people  of  the  same  nation.  But  un 
expected  difficulties  presented  themselves,  in  the  oaths  with 
which  the  policy  of  England  had  fettered  their  establish 
ment  ;  and  much  time  was  spent  before  a  conscientious 
sense  of  duty  would  permit  the  prelates  of  Britain  to  dele 
gate  the  authority  so  earnestly  sought.  Time,  patience, 
and  zeal,  however,  removed  every  impediment;  and  the 
venerable  men,  who  had  been  set  apart  by  the  Ameri 
can  churches,  at  length  returned  to  their  expecting  dio 
ceses,  endowed  with  the  most  elevated  functions  of  their 
earthly  church.  Priests  and  deacons  were  ordained ;  and 
missionaries  provided,  to  keep  alive  the  expiring  flame 
of  devotion  in  such  members  as  were  deprived  of  the  ordi 
nary  administrations,  by  dwelling  in  new  and  unorganized 
districts. 

Of  this  number  was  Mr.  Grant.  He  had  been  sent  into 
the  county  of  which  Templeton  was  the  capital,  and  had 
been  kindly  invited  by  Marrnaduke,  and  officiously  pressed 
by  Richard,  to  take  up  his  abode  in  the  village.  A  small 
and  humble  dwelling  was  prepared  for  his  family,  and  the 
divine  had  made  his  appearance  in  the  place  but  a  few  days 
previously  to  the  time  of  his  introduction  to  the  reader. 
As  his  forms  were  entirely  new  to  most  of  the  inhabitants, 
and  a  clergyman  of  another  denomination  had  previously 
occupied  the  field,  by  engaging  the  academy,  the  first  Sun 
day  after  his  arrival  was  suffered  to  pass  in  silence  ;  but 
now  that  his  rival  had  passed  on,  like  a  meteor,  filling  the 
air  with  the  light  of  his  wisdom,  Richard  was  empowered 
to  give  notice  that  "  Public  worship,  after  the  forms  of  the 
protestant  Episcopal  Church,  would  be  held  on  the  night 


98  THE  PIONEERS. 

before  Christmas,  in  the  long  room  of  the  academy  in  Tern- 
pleton,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Grant." l 

This  annunciation  excited  great  commotion  among  the 
different  sectaries.  Some  wondered  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
exhibition  ;  others  sneered ;  but  a  far  greater  part,  recol 
lecting  the  essays  of  Richard  in  that  way,  and  mindful  of 
the  liberality,  or  rather  laxity  of  Marmaduke's  notions  on 
the  subject  of  sectarianism,  thought  it  most  prudent  to  be 
silent. 

The  expected  evening  was,  however,  the  wonder  of  the 
hour ;  nor  was  the  curiosity  at  all  diminished,  when  Rich 
ard  and  Benjamin,  on  the  morning  of  the  eventful  day, 
were  seen  to  issue  from  the  woods  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  village,  each  bearing  on  his  shoulders  a  large  bunch  of 
evergreens.  This  worthy  pair  was  observed  to  enter  the 
academy,  and  carefully  to  fasten  the  door,  after  which  then 
proceedings  remained  a  profound  secret  to  the  rest  of  the 
village ;  Mr.  Jones,  before  he  commenced  this  mysterious 
business,  having  informed  the  schoolmaster,  to  the  great  de 
light  of  the  white-headed  flock  he  governed,  that  there 
could  be  no  school  that  day.  Marmaduke  was  apprised 
of  all  these  preparations,  by  letter,  and  it  was  especially 
arranged,  .that  he  and  Elizabeth  should  arrive  in  season  to 
participate  in  the  solemnities  of  the  evening. 

After  this  disgression,  we  shall  return  to  our  narratiTe. 

i  See  Appendix,  Note  E. 


THE  PIONEEBS  99 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Now  all  admire,  in  each  high-flavored  dish, 
The  capabilities  of  flesh  —  fowl  —  fish ; 
In  order  due  each  guest  assumes  his  station, 
Throbs  high  his  breast  with  fond  anticipation 
And  prelibates  the  joys  of  mastication. 

HELIOGABAUAD. 

THE  apartment  to  which  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  handed 
Elizabeth,  communicated  with  the  hall,  through  the  door 
that  led  under  the  urn  which  was  supposed  to  contain  the 
ashes  of  Dido.  The  room  was  spacious,  and  of  very  just 
proportions ;  but  in  its  ornaments  and  furniture,  the  same 
diversity  of  taste,  and  imperfection  of  execution,  were  to  be 
observed,  as  existed  in  the  hall.  Of  furniture,  there  were  a 
dozen  green,  wooden  arm-chairs,  with  cushions  of  moreen, 
taken  from  the  same  piece  as  the  petticoat  of  Remarkable. 
The  tables  were  spread,  and  their  materials  and  workman 
ship  could  not  be  seen ;  but  they  were  heavy,  and  of  great 
size.  An  enormous  mirror,  in  a  gilt  frame,  hung  against 
the  wall,  and  a  cheerful  fire,  of  the  hard  or  sugar  maple,  was 
burning  on  the  hearth.  The  latter  was  the  first  object  that 
struck  the  attention  of  the  Judge,  who,  on  beholding  it, 
exclaimed,  rather  angrily,  to  Richard,  — 

"  How  often  have  I  forbidden  the  use  of  the  sugar-maple 
in  my  dwelling  !  The  sight  of  that  sap,  as  it  exudes  with 
the  heat,  is  painful  to  me,  Richard.  Really,  it  behooves  the 
owner  of  woods  so  extensive  as  mine,  to  be  cautious  what 
example  he  sets  his  people,  who  are  already  felling  the 
forests,  as  if  no  end  could  be  found  to  their  treasures,  nor 
any  limits  to  their  extent.  If  we  go  on  in  this  way,  twenty 
years  hence  we  shall  want  fuel." 

"  Fuel  in  these  hills,  cousin  'Duke  !  "  exclaimed  Richard, 
in  derision,  "  fuel !  why,  you  might  as  well  predict  that  the 


100  THE  FIONE2RS. 

fish  will  die,  for  the  want  of  water  in  the  lake,  because  1 
intend,  when  the  frost  gets  out  of  the  ground,  to  lead  one 
or  two  of  the  springs,  through  logs,  into  the  villige.  But 
you  are  always  a  little  wild  011  such  subjects,  Marinaduke." 

"  Is  it  wildness,"  returned  the  Judge,  earnestly,  "  to  con- 
demn  a  practice  which  devotes  these  jewels  of  tl^p  forest, 
these  precious  gifts  of  nature,  these  mines  of  comfort  and 
wealth,  to  the  common  uses  of  a  fire-place  ?  But  I  must, 
and  will,  the  instant  the  snow  is  off  the  earth,  send  out  a 
party  into  the  mountains  to  explore  for  coal." 

"  Coal !  "  echoed  Richard ;  "  who  the  devil  do  you  think 
will  dig  for  coal,  when  in  hunting  for  a  bushel  he  would 
have  to  rip  up  more  roots  of  trees,  than  would  keep  him  in 
fuel  for  a  twelvemonth  ?  Poh !  poh  !  Marinaduke,  you 
should  leave  the  management  of  these  things  to  me,  who 
have  a  natural  turn  that  way.  It  was  I  that  ordered  this 
fire,  and  a  noble  one  it  is,  to  warm  the  blood  of  my  pretty 
cousin  Bess." 

"  The  motive,  then,  must  be  your  apology,  Dickon,"  said 
the  Judge.  "  But,  gentlemen,  we  are  waiting.  Elizabeth, 
my  child,  take  the  head  of  the  table ;  Richard,  I  see,  means 
to  spare  me  the  trouble  of  carving,  by  sitting  opposite  to 
you." 

"  To  be  sure  I  do,"  cried  Richard ;  "  here  is  a  turkey  to 
carve;  and  I  flatter  myself  that  I  understand  carving  a 
turkey,  or,  for  that  matter,  a  goose,  as  well  as  any  man 
alive.  Mr.  Grant !  where's  Mr.  Grant  ?  will  you  please  to 
say  grace,  sir  ?  Everything  is  getting  cold.  Take  a  thing 
from  the  fire,  this  cold  weather,  and  it  will  freeze  in  five 
minutes.  Mr.  Grant !  we  want  you  to  say  grace.  *  For 
what  we  are  about  to  receive,  the  Lord  make  us  thankful/ 
Come,  sit  down,  sit  down.  Do  you  eat  wing  or  breast, 
cousin  Bess  ?  " 

But  Elizabeth  had  not  taken  her  seat,  nor  was  she  in 
readiness  to  receive  either  the  wing  or  breast.  Her  laugh 
ing  eyee  were  glancing  at  the  arrangements  of  the  table,  and 
the  quality  and  selection  of  the  food.  The  eyes  of  the 
father  soon  met  the  wondering  looks  of  his  daughter,  and  he 
gaid,  with  a  smile,  — 


THE  PIONEERS.  101 

"  You  perceive,  my  child,  how  much  we  are  indebted  to 
Remarkable,  for  her  skill  in  housewifery  ;  she  has  indeed 
provided  a  noble  repast ;  such  as  well  might  stop  the  crav 
ings  of  hunger." 

"Law!"  said  Remarkable,  "I'm  glad  if  the  Judge  is 
pleased ;  but  I'm  notional  that  you'll  find  the  sa'ce  over 
done.  I  thought,  as  Elizabeth  was  coming  home,  that  a 
body  could  do  no  less  than  make  things  agreeable." 

"  My  daughter  has  now  grown  to  woman's  estate,  and  is 
from  this  moment  mistress  of  my  house,"  said  the  Judge ; 
"  it  is  proper  that  all  who  live  with  me  address  her  as  Misa 
Temple." 

"Ztotell!"  exclaimed  Remarkable,  a  little  aghast ;  "well, 
who  ever  heerd  of  a  young  woman's  being  called  Miss  ? 
If  the  Judge  had  a  wife  now,  I  shouldn't  think  of  calling 
her  anything  but  Miss  Temple  ;  but "  — 

"  Having  nothing  but  a  daughter,  you  will  observe  that 
style  to  her,  if  you  please,  in  future,"  interrupted  Marma- 
duke. 

As  the  Judge  looked  seriously  displeased,  and,  at  such 
moments,  carried  a  particularly  commanding  air  with  him, 
the  wary  housekeeper  made  no  reply;  and,  Mr.  Grant 
entering  the  room,  the  whole  party  were  soon  seated  at  the 
table.  As  the  arrangements  of  this  repast  were  much  in 
the  prevailing  taste  of  that  period  and  country,  we  shall 
endeavor  to  give  a  short  description  of  the  appearance  of 
the  banquet. 

The  table-linen  was  of  the  most  beautiful  damask,  and 
liie  plates  and  dishes  of  real  china,  an  article  of  great  luxury 
at  this  early  period  in  American  commerce.  The  knives 
ind  forks  were  of  exquisitely  polished  steel,  and  were  set  in 
unclouded  ivory.  So  much,  being  furnished  by  the  wealth 
of  Marmaduke,  was  not  only  comfortable,  but  even  elegant 
The  contents  of  the  several  dishes,  and  their  positions,  how 
ever,  were  the  result  of  the  sole  judgment  of  Remarkable. 
Before  Elizabeth,  was  placed  an  enormous  roasted  turkey, 
and  before  Richard,  one  boiled.  In  the  centre  of  the  table, 
stood  a  pair  of  heavy  silver  castors,  surrounded  by  four 
dishes ;  one  a  fricassee,  that  consisted  of  gray  squirrels 


102  THE  PIONEERS. 

another  of  fist  fried ;  a  third  of  fish  boiled ;  the  last  was  a 
venison  steak.  Between  these  dishes  and  the  turkeys, 
stood,  on  the  one  side,  a  prodigious  chine  of  roasted  bear's 
meat,  and  on  the  other  a  boiled  leg  of  delicious  mutton. 
Interspersed  among  this  load  of  meats,  was  every  species 
of  vegetables  that  the  season  and  country  afforded.  The 
four  corners  were  garnished  with  plates  of  cake.  On  one 
was  piled  certain  curiously  twisted  and  complicated  figures, 
called  "  nut-cakes."  On  another  were  heaps  of  a  black- 
looking  substance,  which,  receiving  its  hue  from  molasses, 
was  properly  termed  "  sweet-cake ;  "  a  wonderful  favorite 
in  the  coterie  of  Remarkable.  A  third  was  filled,  to  use 
the  language  of  the  housekeeper,  with  "  cards  of  ginger 
bread  ; "  and  the  last  held  a  "  plum-cake,"  so  called  from 
the  number  of  large  raisins  that  were  showing  their  black 
heads,  in  a  substance  of  a  suspiciously  similar  color.  At 
each  corner  of  the  table  stood  saucers,  filled  with  a  thick 
fluid,  of  somewhat  equivocal  color  and  consistence,  varie 
gated  with  small  dark  lumps  of  a  substance  that  resembled 
nothing  but  itself,  which  Remarkable  termed  her  "  sweet- 

O 

meats."  At  the  side  of  each  plate,  which  was  placed  bottom 
upwards,  with  its  knife  and  fork  most  accurately  crossed 
above  it,  stood  another,  of  smaller  size,  containing  a  motley- 
looking  pie,  composed  of  triangular  slices  of  apple,  mince, 
pumpkin,  cranberry,  and  custard,  so  arranged  as  to  form  an 
entire  whole.  Decanters  of  brandy,  rum,  gin,  and  wine, 
with  sundry  pitchers  of  cider,  beer,  and  one  hissing  vessel 
of  "  flip,"  were  put  wherever  an  opening  would  admit  of 
their  introduction.  Notwithstanding  the  size  of  the  tables, 
there  was  scarcely  a  spot  where  the  rich  damask  could  be 
seen,  so  crowded  were  the  dishes,  with  their  associated 
bottles,  plates,  and  saucers.  The  object  seemed  to  be  pro 
fusion,  and  it  was  obtained  entirely  at  the  expense  of  order 
and  elegance. 

All  the  guests,  as  well  as  the  Judge  himself,  seemed  per 
fectly  familiar  with  this  description  of  fare,  for  each  one 
commenced  eating,  with  an  appetite  that  promised  to  d« 
great  honor  to  Remarkable's  taste  and  skill.  What  ren 
dered  this  attention  to  the  repast  a  little  surprising,  was  th« 


THE  PIONEERS  103 

feet,  that  both  the  German  and  Ilichard  had  been  sum 
moned  from  another  table,  to  meet  the  Judge ;  but  Major 
Hartmann  both  ate  and  drank  without  any  rule,  when  ou 
his  excursions  ;  and  Mr.  Jones  invariably  made  it  a  point 
to  participate  in  the  business  in  hand,  let  it  be  what  it  would. 
The  host  seemed  to  think  some  apology  necessary  for  the 
warmth  he  had  betrayed  on  the  subject  of  the  fire-wood, 
and  when  the  party  were  comfortably  seated,  and  engaged 
with  their  knives  and  forks,  he  observed,  — 

"  The  wastefulness  of  the  settlers,  with  the  noble  trees  of 
this  country,  is  shocking,  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  as  doubtless 
you  have  noticed.  I  have  seen  a  man  fell  a  pine,  when  he 
has  been  in  want  of  fencing-stuff,  and  roll  his  first  cuts  into 
the  gap,  where  he  left  it  to  rot,  though  its  top  would  have 
made  rails  enough  to  answer  his  purpose,  and  its  butt  would 
have  sold  in  the  Philadelphia  market  for  twenty  dollars." 

"  And  how  the  devil  —  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Grant," 
interrupted  Richard  ;  "  but  how  is  the  poor  devil  to  get  his 
logs  to  the  Philadelphia  market,  pray?  put  them  in  his 
pocket,  ha !  as  you  would  a  handful  of  chestnuts,  or  a  bunch 
of  checkerberries  ?  I  should  like  to  see  you  walking  up 
High  Street,  with  a  pine  log  in  each  pocket !  Poh !  poh ! 
cousin  'Duke,  there  are  trees  enough  for  us  all,  and  some 
to  spare.  Why,  I  can  hardly  tell  which  way  the  wind 
blows,  when  I'm  out  in  the  clearings,  they  are  so  thick,  and 
so  tall;  I  couldn't  at  all,  if  it  wasn't  for  the  clouds,  and  I 
happen  to  know  all  the  points  of  the  compass,  as  it  were,  by 
heart." 

"  Aye,  aye,  Squire,"  cried  Benjamin,  who  had  now  en 
tered,  and  taken  his  place  behind  the  Judge's  chair,  a  little 
aside  withal,  in  order  to  be  ready  for  any  observation  like 
the  present,  "  look  aloft,  sir,  look  aloft.  The  old  seamen 
say,  that  the  devil  wouldn't  make  a  sailor,  unless  he  looked 
aloft.  As  for  the  compass,  why,  there  is  no  such  thing  as 
steering  without  one.  I'm  sure  I  never  lose  sight  of  the 
main-top,  as  I  call  the  Squire's  lookout  on  the  roof,  but  I 
set  my  compass,  d'ye  see,  and  take  the  bearings  and  distance 
of  things,  in  order  to  work  out  my  course,  if-so-be  that  it 
should  cloud  up,  or  the  tops  of  the  trees  should  shut  out  the 


101  TUK  P10NEEBS. 

light  of  heaven.  The  steeple  of  St.  Paul's,  now  that  we 
nave  got  it  on  end,  is  a  great  help  to  the  navigation  of  the 
woods,  for,  by  the  Lord  Harry,  as  I  was  "  — 

"  It  is  well,  Benjamin,"  interrupted  Marmaduke,  observ 
ing  that  his  daughter  manifested  displeasure  at  the  major- 
domo's  familiarity  ;  "  but  you  forget  there  is  a  lady  in  com 
pany,  and  the  women  love  to  do  most  of  the  talking 
themselves." 

"  The  Judge  says  the  true  word,"  cried  Benjamin,  with 
one  of  his  discordant  laughs  ;  "  now  here  is  Mistress  Re 
markable  Prettybones ;  just  take  the  stopper  off  her  tongue, 
and  you'll  hear  a  gabbling,  worse  like  than  if  you  should 
happen  to  fall  to  leeward  in  crossing  a  French  privateer,  or 
some  such  thing,  mayhap,  as  a  dozen  monkeys  stowed  in 
one  bag." 

It  were  impossible  to  say  how  perfect  an  illustration  of' 
the  truth  of  Benjamin's  assertion  the  housekeeper  would 
have  furnished,  if  she  had  dared;  but  the  Judge  looked 
sternly  at  her,  and,  unwilling  to  incur  his  resentment,  yet 
unable  to  contain  her  auger,  she  threw  herself  out  of  the 
room,  with  a  toss  of  the  body,  that  nearly  separated  her 
frail  form  in  the  centre. 

"  Richard,"  said  Marmaduke,  observing  that  his  displeas 
ure  had  produced  the  desired  effect, "  can  you  inform  me  of 
anything  concerning  the  youth  whom  I  so  unfortunately 
wounded  ?  I  found  him  on  the  mountain,  hunting  in  com 
pany  with  the  Leather-Stocking,  as  if  they  were  of  the  same 
family  ;  but  there  is  a  manifest  difference  in  their  manners. 
The  youth  delivers  himself  in  chosen  language ;  such  as  is 
seldom  heard  in  these  hills,  and  such  as  occasions  great  sur 
prise  to  me,  how  one  so  meanly  clad,  and  following  so  lowly 
a  pursuit,  could  attain.  Mohegan  also  knew  him.  Doubt 
less  he  is  a  tenant  of  Natty's  hut.  Did  you  remark  the 
language  of  the  lad,  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  ?  " 

"  Certainement,  Monsieur  Tempi',''  returned  the  French 
man,  "  he  deed  conovairse  in  de  excellent  Anglaise." 

"The  boy  is  113  miracle,"  exclaimed  Richard;  "I've 
known  children  that  were  sent  to  school  early,  talk  much 
better,  before  they  were  twelve  years  old.  There  was 


THE  PIONEERS.  105 

Zared  Coc,  old  Nehemiah's  son,  who  first  settled  on  the 
beaver-dam  meadow,  he  could  write  almost  as  good  a  hand 
as  myself,  when  he  was  fourteen ;  though  it's  true,  I  helped 
to  teach  him  a  little,  in  the  evenings.  But  this  shooting 
gentleman  ought  to  be  put  in  the  stocks,  if  he  ever  takes  a 
rein  in  his  hand  again.  He  is  the  most  awkward  fellow 
about  a  horse  I  ever  met  with.  I  dare  say,  he  never  drove 
anything  but  oxen  in  his  life." 

"  There,  I  think,  Dickon,  you  do  the  lad  injustice,"  said 
the  Judge ;  "  he  uses  much  discretion  in  critical  moments. 
Dost  thou  not  think  so,  Bess  ?  " 

There  was  nothing  in  this  question  particularly  to  excite 
blushes,  but  Elizabeth  started  from  the  reverie  into  which 
she  had  fallen,  and  colored  to  her  forehead,  as  she  answered: 

"  To  me,  dear  sir,  he  appeared  extremely  skillful,  and 
prompt,  and  courageous ;  but  perhaps  cousin  Richard  will 
say,  I  am  as  ignorant  as  the  gentleman  himself." 

"  Gentleman  ! "  echoed  Richard ;  "  do  you  call  such  chaps 
gentlemen,  at  school,  Elizabeth  ?  " 

"  Every  man  is  a  gentleman  that  knows  how  to  treat  a 
woman  with  respect  and  consideration,"  returned  the  young 
lady,  promptly,  and  a  little  smartly. 

"  So  much  for  hesitating  to  appear  before  the  heiress  in 
his  shirt  sleeves,"  cried  Richard,  winking  at  Monsieur  Le 
Quoi,  who  returned  the  wink  with  one  eye,  while  he  rolled 
the  other,  with  an  expression  of  sympathy,  towards  the 
young  lady.  "  Well,  well,  to  me  he  seemed  anything  but  a 
gentleman.  I  must  say,  however,  for  the  lad,  that  he  draws 
a  good  trigger,  and  has  a  true  aim.  He's  good  at  shooting 
a  buck,  ha !  Marmaduke  ?  " 

"  Richart,"  said  Major  Hartmann,  turning  his  grave 
countenance  towards  the  gentleman  he  addressed,  with 
much  earnestness,  "  ter  poy  is  goot.  He  savet  your  life, 
and  my  life,  and  ter  life  of  Tominie  Grant,  and  ter  life  of 
ter  Frenchman ;  and,  Richart,  he  shall  never  vont  a  pet  to 
Bleep  in  vile  olt  Fritz  Hartmann  has  a  shingle  to  cover  his 
het  mit." 

"  Well,  well,  as  you  please,  old  gentleman,"  returned  Mr. 
Jones,  endeavoring  to  look  indifferent;  "put  him  into  youi 


106  THE  PIONEERS. 

own  stone  house,  ii  you  will,  Major.  I  dare  say  the  lad 
never  slept  in  anything  better  than  a  bark  shanty  iu  his  life, 
unless  it  was  some  such  hut  as  the  cabin  of  Leather-Stock 
ing.  I  prophesy  you  will  soon  spoil  him :  any  one  could 
see  how  proud  he  grew,  in  a  short  time,  just  because  he 
stood  by  my  horses'  heads,  while  I  turned  them  into  the 
highway." 

"  No,  no,  my  old  friend,"  cried  Marinaduke,  "  it  shall  be 
my  task  to  provide  in  some  manner  for  the  youth.  I  owe 
him  a  debt  of  my  own,  besides  the  service  he  has  done 
me,  through  my  friends.  And  yet  I  anticipate  some  little 
trouble,  in  inducing  him  to  accept  of  niy  services.  He 
showed  a  marked  dislike,  I  thought,  Bess,  to  my  offer  of  a 
residence  within  these  walls  for  life."  >  . 

"  Really,  dear  sir,"  said  Elizabeth,  projecting  her  beautiful 
under-lip,  "  I  have  not  studied  the  gentleman  so  closely  aa 
to  read  his  feelings  in  his  countenance.  I  thought  he  might 
very  naturally  feel  pain  from  his  wound,  and  therefore  pitied 
him ;  but "  —  and  as  she  spoke  she  glanced  her  eye,  with 
suppressed  curiosity,  towards  the  major-domo  —  "I  dare 
say,  sir,  that  Benjamin  can  tell  you  something  about  him, 
He  cannot  have  been  in  the  village,  and  Benjamin  not  have 
seen  him  often." 

*4  Aye,  I  have  seen  the  boy  before,"  said  Benjamin,  who 
wanted  little  encouragement  to  speak ;  "  lie  has  been  back 
ing  and  iilling  in  the  wake  of  Natty  Bumppo,  through  the 
mountains,  after  deer,  like  a  Dutch  long-boat  in  tow  of  an 
Albany  sloop.  He  carries  a  good  rifle,  too.  The  Leather- 
Stocking  said,  in  my  hearing  before  Betty  Hollister's  bar 
room  fire,  no  later  than  Tuesday  night,  that  the  younker  was 
certain  death  to  the  wild  beasts.  If-so-be  he  can  kill  the 
wild-cat  that  has  been  heard  moaning  on  the  lake  side  since 
the  hard  frosts  and  deep  snows  have  driven  the  deer  to  nerd, 
ho  will  be  doing  the  thing  that  is  good.  Your  wild-cat  is  a 
bad  shipmate,  and  should  be  made  to  cruise  out  of  the  track 
jf  Christian  men." 

"  Lives  he  in  the  hut  of  Bumppo  ?•"  asked  Marmaduke, 
with  some  interest. 

"  Cheek  by  jowl :   the  Wednesday  will  bo  three  weeki 


THE   PIONEERS.  107 

since  ho  first  hove  in  sight,  in  company  with  Leather-Stor't- 
ing.  They  had  captured  a  wolf  between  them,  a^d  had 
brought  in  his  scalp  for  the  bounty.  That  Mis*«r  Bump-ho 
has  a  handy  turn  with  him,  in  taking  off  a  f^-alp  ;  arid  there's 
them,  in  this  here  village,  who  say  *«*  larnt  the  trade  by 
working  on  Christian  men.  If-°o-be  that  there  is  truth  in 
the  saying  and  I  comm^aded  along  shore  here,  as  your 
honor  does,  why,  ^Ve  bee,  I'd  bring  him  to  the  gangway  for 
it,  yet.  Thp-Vs  <*  very  pretty  post  rigged  alongside  of  the 
stocks ;  ind  ibr  the  matter  of  a  cat,  I  can  fit  one  with  my 
^wn  hands ;  aye !  and  use  it  too,  for  the  want  of  a  better." 

^  You  are  not  to  credit  the  idle  tales  you  hear  of  Natty ; 
he  has  a  kind  of  natural  right  to  gain  a  livelihood  in  these 
mountains ;  and  if  the  idlers  in  the  village  take  it  into  their 
heads  to  annoy  him,  as  they  sometimes  do  reputed  rogues, 
they  shall  find  him  protected  by  the  strong  arm  of  the  law." 

"  Ter  rifle  is  petter  as  tcr  law,"  said  the  Major,  senten- 
tiously. 

"  That  for  his  rifle ! "  exclaimed  Richard,  snapping  his 
fingers  ;  "  Ben  is  right,  and  I "  —  He  was  «topped  by  the 
sounds  of  a  common  ship-bell,  that  had  been  elevated  to  the 
belfry  of  the  academy,  which  now  announced,  by  its  incessant 
ringing,  that  the  hour  for  the  appointed  service  had  arrived. 
11 '  For  this,  and  every  other  instance  of  his  goodness'  — I 
beg  pardon,  Mr.  Grant,  will  you  please  to  return  thanks,  sir  ? 
it  is  time  we  should  be  moving,  as  we  are  the  only  Episco 
palians  in  the  neighborhood ;  that  is,  I,  and  Benjamin,  and 
Elizabeth ;  for  I  count  half-breeds,  like  Marmaduke,  as  bad 
as  heretics." 

The  divine  arose,  and  performed  the  office,  meekly  and 
fervently,  and  the  whole  party  instantly  prepared  thcmselvea 
For  the  church  —  or  rather  academy. 


108  THE  PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER  X. 

And,  calling  sinfli!  man  t,o  praj, 

Loud,  long,  and  deep,  the  bell  had  tolled. 

SCOTT'S  BURGHEE 

WHILE  Richard  and  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  attended  by  Ben 
jamin,  proceeded  to  the  academy  by  a  footpath  through  the 
snow,  the  Judge,  his  daughter,  the  divine,  and  the  Major, 
took  a  more  circuitous  route  to  the  same  place  by  the  streets 
of  the  village. 

The  moon  had  risen,  and  its  orb  was  shedding  a  flood  of 
light  over  the  dark  outline  of  pines  which  crowned  the  east 
ern  mountain.  In  many  climates  the  sky  would  have  been 
thought  clear  and  lucid  for  a  noontide.  The  stars  twinkled 
in  the  heavens,  like  the  last  glimmerings  of  distant  fire,  so 
much  were  they  obscured  by  the  overwhelming  radiance  of 
the  atmosphere ;  the  rays  from  the  moon  striking  upon  the 
smooth  white  surfaces  of  the  lake  and  fields,  reflecting  up 
wards  a  light  that  was  brightened  by  the  spotless  color  of 
the  immense  bodies  of  snow  which  covered  the  earth. 

Elizabeth  employed  herself  with  reading  the  signs,  one  of 
which  appeared  over  almost  every  door ;  while  the  sleigh  I 
moved  steadily,  and  at  an  easy  gait,  along  the  principal 
street.  Not  only  new  occupations,  but  names  that  were 
strangers  to  her  ears,  met  her  gaze  at  every  step  they  pro- 
ceeded.  The  very  houses  seemed  changed.  This  had  been 
altered  by  an  addition ;  that  had  been  painted  :  another  had 
been  erected  on  the  site  of  an  old  acquaintance,  which  had 
been  banished  from  the  earth  almost  as  soon  as  it  made  its 
Appearance  on  it.  All  were,  however,  pouring  forth  their 
inmates,  who  uniformly  held  their  way  towards  the  point 
where  the  expected  exhibition  of  the  conjoint  taste  of  Rich 
ard  and  Benjamin  was  to  be  made. 


THE   PIONEERS.  109 

After  viewing  the  buildings,  which  .really  appeared  to 
some  advantage,  under  the  bright  but  mellow  liirht  of  the 
moon,  our  heroine  turned  her  eyes  to  a  scrutiny  of  the  dif 
ferent  figures  that  they  passed,  in  search  of  any  form  that  she 
knew.  But  all  seemed  alike,  as  muffled  in  cloaks,  hoods,  coats, 
or  tippets,  they  glided  along  the  narrow  passages  in  the  snow 
which  led  under  the  houses,  half  hid  by  the  bank  that  had 
been  thrown  up  in  excavating  the  deep  path  in  which  they 
trod.  Once  or  twice  she  thought  there  was  a  stature  or  a 
gait  that  she  recollected ;  but  the  person  who  owned  it  in 
stantly  disappeared  behind  one  of  those  enormous  piles  of 
wood  that  lay  before  most  of  the  doors.  It  was  only  as 
they  turned  from  the  main  street  into  another  that  inter 
sected  it  at  right  angles,  and  which  led  directly  to  the  place 
of  meeting,  that  she  recognized  a  face  and  building  that  she 
knew. 

The  house  stood  at  one  of  the  principal  corners  in  tho 
village  ;  and,  by  its  well-trodden  doorway,  as  well  as  the 
sign  that  was  swinging  with  a  kind  of  doleful  sound  in  the 
blasts  that  occasionally  swept  down  the  lake,  was  clearly  one 
of  the  most  frequented  inns  in  the  place.  The  building  was 
only,  of  one  story  ;  but  the  dormer  windows  in  the  roof,  the 
paint,  the  window-shutters,  and  the  cheerful  fire  that  shone 
through  the  open  door,  gave  it  an  air  of  comfort  that  was  not 
possessed  by  many  of  its  neighbors.  The  sign  was  sus 
pended  from  a  common  ale-house  post,  and  represented  the 
figure  of  a  horseman,  armed  with  sabre  and  pistols,  and  sur 
mounted  by  a  bearskin  cap,  with  a  fiery  animal  that  he  be 
strode  "  rampant."  All  these  particulars  were  easily  to  be 
seen  by  the  aid  of  the  moon,  together  with  a  row  of  some 
what  illegible  writing  in  black  paint,  but  in  which  Elizabeth, 
to  whom  the  whole  was  familiar,  read  with  facility,  "  The 
Bold  Dragoon." 

A  man  and  a  woman  were  issuing  from  the  door  of  this 
habitation  as  the  sleigh  was  passing.  The  former  moved 
with  a  stiff,  military  step,  that  was  a  good  deal  heightened 
by  a  limp  in  one  leg ;  but  the  woin^u  advanced  with  a  meas 
ure  and  an  air  that  seemed  not  particularly  regardful  of 
what  she  might  encounter.  The  light  of  th/>  moon  fell 


110  THE  PIONEERS. 

directly  upon  her  full,  broad,  and  red  visage,  exhibiting  Iiei 
masculine  countenance  under  the  mockery  of  a  ruffled  cap, 
that  was  intended  to  soften  the  lineaments  of  features  that 
were  by  no  means  squeamish.  A  small  bonnet  of  black 
silk,  and  of  a  slightly  formal  cut,  was  placed  on  the  back  of 
her  head,  but  so  as  not  to  shade  her  visage  in  the  least. 
Her  face,  as  it  encountered  the  rays  of  the  moon  from  the 
gast,  seemed  not  unlike  a  sun  rising  in  the  west.  She  ad 
vanced,  with  masculine  strides,  to  intercept  the  sleigh  ;  and 
the  Judge,  directing  the  namesake  of  the  Grecian  king,  who 
held  the  lines,  to  check  his  horses,  the  parties  were  soon 
near  to  each  other. 

"  Good  luck  to  ye,  and  a  wilcome  home,  Jooge !  "  cried 
the  female,  with  a  strong  Irish  accent ;  "  and  I'm  sure  it's 
to  me  that  ye'r  always  wilcome.  Sure !  and  there's  Mis8 
Lizzy,  and  a  fine  young  woman  is  she  grown.  What  a 
heart-ach  would  she  be  giving  the  young  men  now,  if  there 
was  sich  a  thing  as  a  rigiment  in  the  town  !  Och  !  but  it's 
idle  to  talk  of  sich  vanities,  while  the  bell  is  calling  us  to 
mateing,  jist  as  we  shall  be  called  away  unexpictedly,  some 
day,  when  we  are  the  laist  calkilating.  Good  even,  Major : 
will  I  make  the  bowl  of  gin  toddy  the  night  ?  or  it's  likely 
ye'll  stay  at  the  big  house  the  Christmas  Eve,  and  the  very 
night  of  ye'r  getting  there  ?  " 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Mrs.  Hollister,"  returned  Eliza 
beth.  "  I  have  been  trying  to  find  a  face  that  I  knew,  since 
we  left  the  door  of  the  Mansion-house  ;  but  none  have  I 
seen  except  your  own.  Your  house,  too,  is  unaltered  ;  while* 
all  the  others  are  so  changed,  that,  but  for  the  places  where 
they  stand,  they  would  be  utter  strangers.  I  observe  you 
also  keep  the  dear  sign  that  I  saw  cousin  Richard  paint ; 
and  even  the  name  at  the  Bottom,  about  which,  you  may 
remember,  you  had  the  disagreement." 

"It  is  the  Bould  Dragoon  ye  mane?  And  what  name 
would  he  have,  who  niver  was  known  by  any  other,  as  my 
husband  here,  the  Captain,  can  testify.  He  was  a  pleasure 
to  wait  upon,  and  was  ever  the  foremost  in  need.  Och  !  but 
he  had  a  sudden  end !  But  it's  to  be  hoped  that  he  waa 
justified  by  the  cause.  And  it's  not  Parson  Grant  there 


THE  PIONEERS.  Ill 

who'll  gainsay  that  same.  Yes,  yes ;  the  Squire  would 
paint,  and  so  I  thought  that  we  might  have  his  face  up  there, 
who  had  so  often  shared  good  and  evil  wid  us.  The  eyes 
is  no  so  large  nor  so  fiery  as  the  captain's  own  ;  but  the 
whiskers  and  the  cap  is  as  like  as  two  paes.  Well,  well,  I'll 
not  keep  ye  in  the  cowld,  talking,  but  will  drop  in  the  mor 
row  after  sarvice,  and  ask  ye  how  ye  do.  It's  our  bounden 
duty  to  make  the  most  of  this  present,  and  to  go  to  the 
house  which  is  open  to  all;  so  God  bless  ye,  and  keep 
ye  from  evil !  Will  I  make  the  gin-twist  the  night,  or  no, 
Major  ?  " 

To  this  question  the  German  replied,  very  sententiously, 
in  the  affirmative ;  and  after  a  few  words  had  passed  be 
tween  the  husband  of  this  fiery-faced  hostess  and  the  Judge, 
the  sleigh  moved  on.  It  soon  reached  the  door  of  the 
academy,  where  the  party  alighted  and  entered  the  build 
ing. 

Iii  the  mean  time,  Mr.  Jones  and  his  two  companions, 
having  a  much  shorter  distance  to  journey,  had  arrived 
before  the  appointed  place  several  minutes  sooner  than  the 
party  in  the  sleigh.  Instead  of  hastening  into  the  room,  in 
order  to  enjoy  the  astonishment  of  the  settlers,  Richard 
placed  a  hand  in  either  pocket  of  his  surtout,  and  affected 
to  walk  about,  in  front  of  the  academy,  like  one  to  whom 
tke  ceremonies  were  familiar. 

The  villagers  proceeded  uniformly  into  the  building,  with 
a  decorum  and  gravity  that  nothing  could  move,  on  such 
occasions ;  but  with  a  haste  that  was  probably  a  little 
heightened  by  curiosity.  Those  who  came  in  from  the  ad 
jacent  country,  spent  some  little  time  in  placing  certain  blue 
and  white  blankets  over  their  horses  before  they  proceeded 
to  indulge  their  desire  to  view  the  interior  of  the  house. 

O 

Most  of  these  men  Richard  approached,  and  inquired  after 
the  health  and  condition  of  their  families.  The  readiness 
with  which  he  mentioned  the  names  of  even  the  children, 
showed  how  very  familiarly  acquainted  he  was  with  their 
circumstances ;  and  the  nature  of  the  answers  he  received, 
proved  that  he  was  a  general  favorite. 

At  length  one  of  the  pedestrians  from  the  village  stopped 


112  THE  PIONEERS. 

also,  and  fixed  an  earnest  gaze  at  a  new  brick  edifice,  that 
was  throwing  a  long  shadow  across  the  fields  of  snow,  as  it 
rose,  with  a  beautiful  gradation  of  light  and  shade,  under 
the  rays  of  a  full  moon.  In  front  of  the  academy  was 
a  vacant  piece  of  ground,  that  was  intended  for  a  public 
square.  On  the  side  opposite  to  Mr.  Jones,  the  new  and  as 
yet  unfinished  church  of  St.  Paul's  was  erected.  This 
edifice  had  been  reared  during  the  preceding  summer,  by  the 
aid  of  what  was  called  a  subscription ;  though  all,  or  nearly 
all,  of  the  money  came  from  the  pocket  of  the  landlord. 
It  had  been  built  under  a  strong  conviction  of  the  necessity 
of  a  more  seemly  place  of  worship  than  the  "  long  room  of 
the  academy,"  and  under  an  implied  agreement  that,  after  its 
completion,  the  question  should  be  fairly  put  to  the  people, 
that  they  might  decide  to  what  denomination  it  should 
belong.  Of  course,  this  expectation  kept  alive  a  strong 
excitement  in  some  few  of  the  sectaries  who  were  interested 
in  its  decision ;  though  but  little  was  said  openly  on  the 
subject.  Had  Judge  Temple  espoused  the  cause  of  any 
particular  sect,  the  question  would  have  been  immediately 
put  at  rest,  for  his  influence  was  too  powerful  to  be  opposed ; 
but  he  declined  interference  in  the  matter,  positively  refus 
ing  to  lend  even  the  weight  of  his  name  on  the  side  of 
Richard,  who  had  secretly  given  an  assurance  to  his 
diocesan,  that  both  the  building  and  the  congregation 
would  cheerfully  come  within  the  pale  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church.  But  when  the  neutrality  of  the  Judge 
was  clearly  ascertained,  Mr.  Jones  discovered  that  he  had 
to  contend  with  a  stiff-necked  people.  His  first  measure 
was  to  go  among  them,  and  commence  a  course  of  reason 
ing,  in  order  to  bring  them  round  to  his  own  way  of  think 
ing.  They  all  heard  him  patiently,  and  not  a  man  uttered 
H  word  in  reply,  in  the  way  of  argument :  and  Richard 
thought,  by  the  time  that  he  had  gone  through  the  settle 
ment,  the  point  was  conclusively  decided  in  his  favor. 
Willing  to  strike  while  the  iron  was  hot,  he  calkxl  a  meet 
ing,  through  the  newspaper,  with  a  view  to  decide  the 
question  by  a  vote,  at  once.  Not  a  so  id  attended ;  and  one 
of  the  most  anxious  afternoons  that  he  iiad  ever  known, 


THE   PIONEERS.  11 3 

was  spent  by  Richard  in  a  vain  discussion  with  Mrs 
Hollister,  who  strongly  contended  that  the  Methodist  (hei 
own)  Church  was  the  best  entitled  to,  and  most  deserving 
of,  the  possession  of  the  new  tabernacle.  Richard  now 
perceived  that  lie  had  been  too  sanguine,  and  had  fallen 
into  the  error  of  all  those  who  ignorantly  deal  with  that 
wary  and  sagacious  people.  lie  assumed  a  disguise  him 
self,  that  is,  as  well  as  he  knew  how,  and  proceeded  otep  by 
step  to  advance  his  purpose. 

The  task  of  erecting  the  building  had  been  unanimously 
transferred  to  Mr.  Jones  and  Hiram  Doolittle.  Together 
they  had  built  the  Mansion-house,  the  academy,  and  the 
jail  ;  and  they  alone  knew  how  to  plan  and  rear  such  a 
structure  as  was  now  required.  Early  in  the  day,  these 
architects  had  made  an  equitable  division  of  their  duties. 
To  the  former  was  assigned  the  duty  of  making  all  the 
plans,  and  to  the  latter,  the  labor  of  superintending  the 
sxecution. 

Availing  himself  of  this  advantage,  Richard  silently  de 
termined  that  the  windows  should  have  the  Roman  arch  ; 
the  first  positive  step  in  effecting  his  wishes.  As  the  build 
ing  was  made  of  bricks,  he  was  enabled  to  conceal  his 
design,  until  the  moment  arrived  for  placing  the  frames: 
then,  indeed,  it  became  necessary  to  act.  -vile  communi 
cated  his  wishes  to  Hiram  with  great  caution  ;  and,  without 
in  the  least  adverting  to  the  spiritual  part  of  his  project,  he 
pressed  the  point  a  little  warmly,  on  the  score  of  architect 
ural  beauty.  Hiram  heard  him  patiently,  and  without  con 
tradiction  ;  but  still  Richard  was  unable  to  discover  the 
*iews  of  his  coadjutor  on  this  interesting  subject.  As  the 
*ght  to  plan  was  duly  delegated  to  Mr.  Jones,  no  direct 
jbjection  was  made  in  words,  but  numberless  unexpected 
uifficulties  arose  in  the  execution.  At  first  there  was  a 
scarcity  in  the  right  kind  of  material  necessary  to  form  the 
frames ;  but  this  objection  was  instantly  silenced,  by  Rich 
ard  running  his  pencil  through  two  feet  of  their  length  at 
one  stroke.  Then  th3  expense  was  mentioned;  but  Rich 
ard  reminded  Hiram  that  his  cousin  paid,  and  that  he  was 
feis  treasurer.  This  last  intimation  had  great  weight,  and 


THE  PIONEERS. 

after  a  silent  and  protracted,  but  fruitless  opposition,  the 
work  was  suffered  to  proceed  on  the  original  plan. 

The  next  difficulty  occurred  in  the  steeple,  which  Rich 
ard  had  modeled  after  one  of  the  smaller  of  those  spires 
that  adorn  the  great  London  Cathedral.  The  imitation 
was  somewhat  lame,  it  is  true,  the  proportions  being  but 
indifferently  observed;  but,  after  much  difficulty,  Mr.  Jones 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  an  object  reared  that  bore,  in 
its  outlines,  a  striking  resemblance  to  a  vinegar-cruet. 
There  was  less  opposition  to  this  model  than  to  the  win 
dows  ;  for  the  settlers  were  fond  of  novelty,  and  their  steeple 
was  without  a  precedent. 

Here  the  labor  ceased  for  the  season,  and  the  difficult 
question  of  the  interior  remained  for  further  deliberation. 
Richard  well  knew,  that  when  he  came  to  propose  a  read 
ing  desk  and  a  chancel,  he  must  unmask ;  for  these  were 
arrangements  known  to  no  Church  in  the  country  but  his 
own.  Presuming,  however,  on  the  advantages  he  had 
already  obtained,  he  boldly  styled  the  building  St.  Paul's, 
and  Hiram  prudently  acquiesced  in  this  appellation,  mak 
ing,  however,  the  slight  addition  of  calling  it  "  New  St. 
Paul's,"  feeling  less  aversion  to  a  name  taken  from  the 
English  Cathedral  than  from  the  saint. 

The  pedestrian  whom   we  have  already    mentioned,  as 
pausing  to  contemplate  this  edifice,  was  no  other  than   the 
gentleman  so  frequently  named  as  Mr.,  or  Squire,  Doolittle, 
He    was    of  a    tall,    gaunt   formation,    with   rather    sharp  { 
features,  and  a  face  that  expressed  formal  propriety,  min-  * 
gled  with  low  cunning.     Richard  approached  him,  followed 
by  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  and  the  major-domo. 

"  Good  evening,  Squire,"  said  Richard,  bobbing  his  head, 
but  without  moving  his  hands  from  his  pockets. 

"  Good  evening,  Squire,"  echoed  Ilirum,  turning  his  body 
In  order  to  turn  his  head  also. 

"  A  cold  night,  Mr.  Doolittle,  a  cold  night,  sir." 

"  Coolish  ;  a  tedious  spell  on't." 

"  What,  looking  at  our  church,  ha  !  it  looks  well,  by 
moonlight ;  how  the  tin  of  the  cupola  glistens  !  I  warrant 
you  the  dome  of  the  other  St.  Paul's  never  shinea  so  in  tho 
wnoke  of  London." 


THE  PIONEERS.  115 

"It  is  a  pretty  meeting-house  to  look  on/  returned 
Hiram,  "and  I  believe  that  Monshure  Ler  Quow  ind  Mr 
Penguilliam,  will  allow  it." 

"  Sairtainlee  !  "  exclaimed  the  complaisant  Frenchman, 
u  it  ees  ver  line." 

"  I  thought  the  Monshure  would  say  so.  The  last  mo 
lasses  that  we  had  was  excellent  good.  It  isn't  likely  that 
you  have  any  more  of  it  on  hand  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  oui ;  ees,  sair,"  returned  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  with 
a  slight  shrug  of  his  shoulder,  and  a  trifling  grimace,  u  dere 
is  more.  I  feel  ver  happi  dat  you  love  eet.  I  hope  dat 
Madame  Doleet'  is  in  good  'ealth." 

"  Why,  so  as  to  be  stirring,"  said  Hiram.  "  The  Squire 
hasn't  finished  the  plans  for  the  inside  of  the  meeting-house 
yet  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  no,"  returned  Richard,  speaking  quickly,  but 
making  a  significant  pause  between  each  negative,  "  it  re 
quires  reflection.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  room  to  fill  up, 
and  I  am  afraid  we  shall  not  know  how  to  dispose  of  it  to 
advantage.  There  will  be  a  large  vacant  spot  around  the 
pulpit,  which  I  do  not  mean  to  place  against  the  wall,  like  a 
sentry-box  stuck  up  on  the  side  of  a  fort." 

"It  is  rulable  to  put  the  deacon's  box  under  the  pulpit," 
said  Hiram  ;  and  then,  as  if  he  had  ventured  too  much,  he 
added,  "  but  there's  different  fashions  in  different  countries.' 

"  That  there  is,"  cried  Benjamin  ;  "  now,  in  running  down 
the  coast  of  Spain  and  Portingall,  you  may  see  a  nunnery 
stuck  out  on  every  headland,  with  more  steeples  and  outrig 
gers,  such  as  dog-vanes  and  weather-cocks,  than  you'll  find 
aboard  of  a  three-masted  schooner.  If-so-be  that  a  well- 
built  church  is  wanting,  Old  England,  after  all,  is  the  coun 
try  to  go  to  after  your  models  and  fashion  pieces.  As  to 
Paul's,  tho'f  I've  never  seen  it,  being  that  it's  a  long  way  up 
town  from  Radcliffe-highway  and  the  docks,  yet  everybody 
knows  that  it's  the  grandest  place  in  the  world.  Now,  I've 
no  opinion  but  this  here  church  over  there,  is  as  like  one 
end  of  it,  as  a  grampus  is  to  a  whale  ;  and  that's  only  a 
small  difference  in  bulk.  Mounsheer  Ler  Quaw,  here,  haa 
been  in  foreign  parts  ;  and  tho'f  that  is  not  the  same  as  hav 


116  THE  PIONEERS. 

ing  been  at  home,  yet  he  must  have  seen  churches  in  France 
too,  and  can  form  a  small  idee  of  what  a  church  should  be 
now,  I  ask  the  Mounsheer  to  his  face,  if  it  is  not  a  clever 
little  thing,  taking  it  by  and  large  ?  " 

u  It  ees  ver  apropos  of  saircumstance,"  said  the  French* 
man,  "  ver  judgment ;  but  it  is  in  de  Catholique  country  dat 
dey  build  de — vat  you  call — ah  aah-ha —  la  grande  cathe- 
drale  —  de  big  church.  St.  Paul,  Londre,  is  ver  fine  ;  ver 
belle  ;  ver  grand  —  vat  you  call  beeg ;  but,  Monsieur  Ben, 
pardonnez  moi,  it  is  no  vort  so  much  as  Notre  Dame." 

"  Ha  !  Mounsheer,  what  is  that  you  say  ?  "  cried  Benja 
min,  "  St.  Paul's  church  not  worth  so  much  as  a  damn  ! 
Mayhap  you  may  be  thinking  too  that  the  Royal  Billy  isn't 
BO  good  a  ship  as  the  Billy  de  Paris  ;  but  she  would  have 
licked  two  of  her,  any  duy,  and  in  all  weathers." 

As  Benjamin  had  assumed  a  very  threatening  kind  of 
attitude,  flourishing  an  arm,  with  a  bunch  at  the  end  of  it 
that  was  half  as  big  as  Monsieur  Le  Quoi's  head,  Richard 
thought  it  time  to  interpose  his  authority. 

"  Hush,  Benjamin,  hush,"  he  said  ;  "  you  both  misunder 
stand  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  and  forget  yourself.  But  here 
comes  Mr.  Grant,  and  the  service  will  commence.  Let  us 
go  in." 

The  Frenchman,  who  received  Benjamin's  reply  with  a 
well-bred  good  humor,  that  would  not  admit  of  any  feeling 
but  pity  for  the  other's  ignorance,  bowed  in  acquiescence, 
and  followed  his  companion. 

Hiram  and  the  major-domo    brought  up  the   rear,   the  i 
Utter  grumbling,  as  he  entered  the  building,  — 

"If-so-be  that  the  King  of  France  had  so  much  as  a  house 
tc  live  in,  that  would  lay  alongside  of  Paul's,  one  might  put 
up  with  their  jaw.  It's  more  than  flesh  and  blood  can  bear 
to  hear  a  Frenchman  run  down  an  English  church  in  this 
manner.  Why,  Squire  Doolittle,  I've  been  at  the  whipping 
of  two  of  them  in  one  day  —  clean-built,  snug  frigates,  with 
standing-royals,  and  them  new-fashioned  cannonades  on  their 
quarters  —  such  as,  if  they  had  only  Englishmen  aboard  of 
them,  would  have  fou't  the  devil." 

With  this  ominous  word  in  his  mouth,  Benjamin  entered 
the  church. 


THE  PIONEEfiS.  IV 


CHAPTER   XL 

And  fojla  who  came  to  scoff,  remained  to  pray. 

GOLDSMITH. 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  united  labors  of  Richard  and 
Uenjamin,  the  "  long  room  "  was  but  an  extremely  inartifi 
cial  temple.  Benches,  made  in  the  coarsest  manner,  and 
entirely  with  a  view  to  usefulness,  were  arranged  in  rows, 
for  the  reception  of  the  congregation  ;  while  a  rough,  un- 
painted  box  was  placed  against  the  wall,  in  the  centre  of 
the  length  of  the  apartment,  as  an  apology  for  a  pulpit. 
Something  like  a  reading-desk  was  in  front  of  his  rostrum  ; 
and  a  small  mahogany  table,  from  the  Mansion-house, 
covered  with  a  spotless  damask  cloth,  stood  a  little  on  one 
side,  by  the  way  of  an  altar.  Branches  of  pines  and  hem 
locks  were  stuck  in  each  of  the  fissures  that  offered,  in  the 
unseasoned  and  hastily-completed  wood-work,  of  both  the 
building  and  its  furniture  ;  while  festoons  and  hieroglyphics 
met  the  eye  in  vast  profusion  along  the  brown  sides  of  the 
scratch-coated  walls.  As  the  room  was  only  lighted  by  some 
ven  or  fifteen  miserable  candles,  and  the  windows  were  with 
out  shutters,  it  would  have  been  but  a  dreary,  cheerless 
place  for  the  solemnities  of  a  Christinas  Eve,  had  not  the 
arge  fire  that  was  crackling  at  each  end  of  the  apartment 
given  an  air  of  cheerfulness  to  the  scene,  by  throwing  an 
cccasional  glare  of  light  through  the  vistas  of  bushes  and 
faces. 

The  two  sexes  were  separated  by  an  area  in  the  centre 
of  the  room  immediately,  before  the  pulpit ;  and  a  few 
bfenches  lined  this  space,  that  were  occupied  by  the  princi 
pal  personages  of  the  village  and  its  vicinity.  This  dis 
tinction  was  rather  a  gratuitous  concession,  made  by  the 
poorer  and  less  polished  part  of  the  population,  than  a  r;ghl 


118  THE  PIONFJWS. 

claimed  by  the  favored  few.  One  bench  was  occupied  bj 
the  party  of  Judge  Temple,  including  his  daughter ;  and, 
with  the  exception  of  Dr.  Todd,  no  one  else  appeared  will 
ing  to  incur  the  imputation  of  pride,  by  taking  a  seat  in 
what  was,  literally,  the  high  place  of  the  tabernacle. 

Richard  filled  the  chair  that  was  placed  -behind  auothei 
table,  in  the  capacity  of  clerk ;  while  Benjamin,  after  heap 
ing  sundry  logs  on  the  fire,  posted  himself  nigh  by,  iu 
reserve  for  any  movement  that  might  require  cooperation. 

It  would  greatly  exceed  our  limits  to  attempt  a  descrip 
tion  of  the  congregation ;  for  the  dresses  were  as  various 
as  the  individuals.  Some  one  article,  of  more  than  usual 
finery,  and  perhaps  the  relic  of  other  days,  was  to  be  seen 
about  most  of  the  females,  in  connection  with  the  coarse 
attire  of  the  woods.  This  wore  a  faded  silk,  that  had  gone 
through  at  least  three  generations,  over  coarse,  woollen 
black  stockings ;  that,  a  shawl,  whose  dyes  were  as  numer 
ous  as  those  of  the  rainbow,  over  an  awkwardly  fitting 
gown,  of  rough  brown  "woman's  wear."  In  short,  eacli 
one  exhibited  some  favorite  article,  and  all  appeared  in 
their  best,  both  men  and  women ;  while  the  groundworks 
in  dress,  in  either  sex,  were  the  coarse  fabrics  manufactured 
within  their  own  dwellings.  One  man  appeared  in  the 
dress  of  a  volunteer  company  of  artillery,  of  which  he  had 
been  a  member  in  the  "  down  countries,"  precisely  for  no 
.;  other  reason  than  because  it  was  the  best  suit  lie  had. 
Several,  particularly  of  the  younger  men,  displayed  panta 
loons  of  blue,  edged  with  red  cloth  down  the  seams,  part  of 
the  equipments  of  the  "  Templeton  Light  Infantry,"  from  a 
little  vanity  to  be  seen  in  "  bough  ten  clothes.'*  There  was 
,  also  one  man  in  a  "  rifle  frock,"  with  its  fringes  and  folds 
of  spotless  white,  striking  a  chill  to  the  heart  with  the  idea 
of  its  coolness  ;  although  the  thick  coat  of  brown  "  home 
made,"  that  was  concealed  beneath,  preserved  a  proper  de- 

e  of  warmth. 

There  was  a  marked  uniformity  of  expression  in  coun 
tenance,  especially  in  that  half  of  the  congregation  who  did 
not  enjoy  the  advantages  of  the  polish  of  the  village.  A 
sallow  skin,  that  indicated  nothing  but  exposure,  was  com- 


THE  PIONEERS.  lift 

mon  to  all,  as  was  an  air  of  great  decency  and  attention 
mingled,  generally,  with  an  expression  of  shrewdness,  and, 
in  the  present  instance,  of  active  curiosity.  Now  and  then 
%a  face  and  dress  were  to  be  seen  among  the  congregation, 
that  differed  entirely  from  this  description.  If  pock 
marked  and  florid,  with  gaitered  legs,  and  a  coat  that  snugly 
fitted  the  person  of  the  wearer,  it  was  surely  an  English 
emigrant,  who  had  bent  his  steps  to  this  retired  quarter  of 
the  globe.  If  hard-featured,  and  without  color,  with  high 
cheek  bones,  it  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  in  similar  circum 
stances. 

The  short,  black-eyed  man,  with  a  cast  of  the  swarthy 
Spaniard  in  his  face,  who  rose  repeatedly,  to  make  room 
for  the  belles  of  the  village  as  they  entered,  was  a  son  of 
Erin,  who  had  lately  left  off  his  pack,  and  become  a  sta 
tionary  trader  in  Templeton.  In  short,  half  the  nations  in 
the  north  of  Europe  had  their  representatives  in  this  as 
sembly,  though  all  had  closely  assimilated  themselves  to  the 
Americans  in  dress  and  appearance,  except  the  Englishman. 
He,  indeed,  not  only  adhered  to  his  native  customs  in  attire 
and  living,  but  usually  drove  his  plough,  among  the  stumps, 
in  the  same  manner  as  he  had  before  done  on  the  plains  of 
Norfolk,  until  dear-bought  experience  taught  him  the  useful 
lesson,  that  a  sagacious  people  knew  what  was  suited  to 
their  circumstances  better  than  a  casual  observer  ;  or  a 
sojourner,  who  was,  perhaps,  too  much  prejudiced  to  com 
pare,  and,  peradventure,  too  conceited  to  learn. 

Elizabeth  soon  discovered  that  she  divided  the  attention 
of  the  congregation  with  Mr.  Grant.  Timidity,  therefore, 
confined  her  observation  of  the  appearances  which  we  have 
described  to  stolen  glances ;  but,  as  the  stamping  of  feet 
was  now  becoming  less  frequent,  and  even  the  coughing, 
and  other  little  preliminaries  of  a  congregation  settling  them 
selves  down  into  reverential  attention,  were  ceasing,  she 
felt  emboldened  to  look  around  her.  Gradually  all  noises 
diminished,  until  the  suppressed  cough  denoted  that  it  was 
necessary  to  avoid  singularity,  and  the  most  profound  still 
ness  pervaded  the  apartment.  The  snapping  of  the  fires, 
bs  they  threw  a  powerful  heat  into  the  room,  was  alone 


120  THE  PIONEERS. 

Jieard,  and  each  face,  and  every  eye,  were   turned  on  th* 
divine. 

At  this  moment,  a  heavy  stamping  of  feet  was  heard  in 
the  passage  below,  as  if  a  new  comer  was  releasing  his 
limbs  from  the  snow  that  was  necessarily  clinging  to  the 
legs  of  a  pedestrian.  It  was  succeeded  by  no  audible 
tread;  but  directly  Mohegan,  followed  by  the  Leather- 
Stocking  and  the  young  hunter,  made  his  appearance. 
Their  footsteps  would  not  have  been  heard,  as  they  trod 
the  apartment  in  their  moccasins,  but  for  the  silence  which 
prevailed. 

The  Indian  moved  with  great  gravity  across  the  floor, 
and,  observing  a  vacant  seat  next  to  the  Judge,  he  took  ii, 
in  a  manner  that  manifested  his  sense  of  his  own  dignity. 
Here,  drawing  his  blanket  closely  around  him,  so  as  partly 
to  conceal  his  countenance,  he  remained,  during  the  service, 
immovable,  but  deeply  attentive.  Natty  passed  the  place 
that  was  so  freely  taken  by  his  red  companion,  and  seated 
himself  on  one  end  of  a  log  that  was  lying  near  the  fire, 
where  he  continued,  ^ith  his  rifle  star,"  jig  between  his  legs, 
absorbed  in  reflections,  seemingly  of  no  very  pleasing  na 
ture.  The  youth  found  a  seat  among  the  congregation,  and 
another  silence  prevailed. 

Mr.  Grant  now  arose,  and  commenced  his  service  with 
the  sublime  declaration  of  the  Hebrew  prophet :  "  The 
Lord  is  in  his  holy  temple ;  let  all  the  earth  keep  silence 
before  Him."  The  example  of  Mr.  Jones  was  unnecessary 
to  teach  the  congregation  to  rise ;  the  solemnity  of  the  - 
divine  effected  this  as  by  magic.  After  a  short  pause,  Mr. 
Grant  proceeded  with  the  solemn  and  winning  exhortation 
of  his  service.  Nothing  was  heard  but  the  deep,  though 
affectionate,  tones  of  the  reader,  as  he  slowly  went  through 
this  exordium ;  until,  something  unfortunately  striking  the 
mind  of  Richard  as  incomplete,  he  left  his  place,  and  walked 
on  tip-toe  from  the  room. 

When  the  clergyman  bent  his  knees  in  prayer  and  con 
fession,  the  congregation  so  far  imitated  his  example  as  to 
resume  their  seats ;  whence  no  succeeding  effort  of  the  divine, 
during  the  evening,  was  able  to  remove  them  in  a  txxiy 


THE  PKXNKERS.  12J 

Some  rose  at  times  ;  but  by  far  the  larger  part  continue* 
unbending ;  observant,  it  is  true,  but  it  was  the  kind  of  ol 
servation  that  regarded  the  ceremony  as  a  spectacle  rathei 
than  a  worship  in  which  they  were  to  participate.  Thus 
deserted  by  his  clerk,  Mr.  Grant  continued  to  read ;  but  no 
response  was  audible.  The  short  and  solemn  pause  that 
succeeded  each  petition  was  made ;  still  no  voice  repeated 
the  eloquent  language  of  the  prayer. 

The  lips  of  Elizabeth  moved,  but  tney  moved  in  vain , 
and,  accustomed  as  she  was  to  the  service  in  the  churches 
of  the  metropolis,  she  was  beginning  to  feel  the  awkward 
ness  of  the  circumstance  most  painfully,' when  a  soft,  low, 
female  voice  repeated  after  the  priest,  "  We  have  left  un 
done  those  things  which  we  ought  to  have  done."  Startled 
at  finding  one  of  her  own  sex  in  that  place,  who  could  rise 
superior  to  natural  timidity,  Miss  Temple  turned  her  eyeo 
:i  the  direction  of  the  penitent.  She  observed  a  young 
female  on  her  knees,  but  a  short  distance  from  her,  with  her 
meek  face  humbly  bent  over  her  book. 

The  appearance  of  this  stranger,  for  such  she  was,  eii- 
tirely,  to  Elizabeth,  was  light  and  fragile.  Her  dress  was 
neat  and  becoming ;  and  her  countenance,  though  pale  and 
slightly  agitated,  excited  deep  interest  by  its  sweet  and  mel 
ancholy  expression,  A  second  and  third  response  were 
made  by  this  juvenile  assistant,  when  the  manly  sounds  of 
a  ira^e  voice  proceeded  from  the  opposite  part  of  the  room. 
Miss  Temple  knew  the  tones  of  the  young  hunter  instantly, 
and  struggling  to  overcome  her  own  diffidence,  she  added 
her  low  voice  to  the  number. 

All  this  time  Benjamin  stood  thumbing  the  leaves  of  a 
prayer-book  with  great  industry  ;  but  some  unexpected  difTV 
culties  prevented  his  finding  the  place.  Before  the  divine 
reached  the  close  of  the  confession,  however,  Richard  reap 
peared  at  the  door,  and,  as  he  moved  lightly  across  the 
room,  he  took  up  the  response,  in  a  voice  that  betrayed  no 
other  concern  than  that  of  not  being  heard.  In  his  hand 
ke  carried  a  small  open  box,  with  the  figures  "8  by  10" 
Written  in  black  paint  on  one  of  its  sides  ;  which,  having 
placed  in  the  pulpit,  apparently  as  a  footstool  for  the  divina 


122  THE  PIONEEBS. 

he  returned  to  his  station  in  time  to  say,  sonorously 
"  Amen."  The  eyes  of  the  congregation,  very  naturally 
were  turned  to  the  windows,  as  Mr.  Jones  entered  with  this 
singular  load ;  arid  then,  as  if  accustomed  to  his  "  general 
agency,"  were  again  bent  on  the  priest,  in  close  and  curious 
attention. 

The  long  experience  of  Mr.  Grant  admirably  qualified 
him  to  perform  his  present  duty.  He  well  understood  the 
character  of  his  listeners,  who  were  mostly  a  primitive 
people  in  their  habits ;  and  who,  being  a  good  deal  ad 
dicted  to  subtleties  and  nice  distinctions  in  their  religious 
opinions,  viewed  the  intr eduction  of  any  such  temporal 
assistance  as  form,  into  their  spiritual  worship,  not  only 
with  jealousy,  but  frequently  with  disgust.  He  had  ac 
quired  much  of  his  knowledge  from  studying  the  great 
book  of  human  nature,  as  it  lay  open  in  the  world ;  and, 
knowing  how  dangerous  it  was  to  contend  with  ignorance, 
uniformly  endeavored  to  avoid  dictating  where  his  better 
reason  taught  him  it  was  the  most  prudent  to  attempt  to 
lead.  His  orthodoxy  had  no  dependence  on  his  cassock ; 
he  could  pray  with  fervor  and  with  faith,  if  circumstances 
required  it,  without  the  assistance  of  his  clerk ;  and  he  had 
even  been  known  to  preach  a  most  evangelical  sermon,  in 
the  winning  manner  of  native  eloquence,  without  the  aid 
of  a  cambric  handkerchief. 

In  the  present  instance  he  yielded,  in  many  places,  to 
the  prejudices  of  his  congregation  ;  and  when  he  had 
ended,  there  was  not  one  of  his  new  hearers  who  did  not 
think  the  ceremonies  less  papal  and  offensive,  and  more 
conformant  to  his  or  her  own  notions  of  devout  worship, 
than  they  had  been  led  to  expect  from  a  service  of  forms. 
Richard  found  in  the  divine,  during  the  evening,  a  most 
powerful  cooperator  in  his  religious  schemes.  In  preach 
ing,  Mr.  Grant  endeavored  to  steer  a  middle  course  be 
tween  the  mystical  doctrines  of  those  sublimated  creeds 
which  daily  involve  their  professors  in  the  most  absurd 
contradictions,  and  those  fluent  rules  of  moral  government, 
which  would  reduce  the  Saviour  to  a  level  with  the  teacher 
of  a  school  of  ethics.  Doctrine  it  was  necessary  to  preach* 


THE  PIONEERS.  123 

for  nothing  less  would  have  satisfied  the  disputatious  peo 
pie  who  were  his  listeners,  and  who  would  have  interpreted 
silence  on  his  part,  into  a  tacit  acknowledgment  of  the 
superficial  nature  of  his  creed.  We  have  already  said  that, 
among  the  endless  variety  of  religious  instructors,  the  set 
tler's  were  accustomed  to  hear  every  denomination  urge  its 
own  distinctive  precepts ;  and  to  have  found  one  indifferent 
to  this  interesting  subject,  would  have  been  destructive  to 
his  im  uence.  But  Mr.  Grant  so  happily  blended  the  uni 
versally  received  opinions  of  the  Christian  faith  with  the 
dogmas  of  his  own  church,  that,  although  none  were  en 
tirely  exempt  from  the  influence  of  his  reasons,  very  few 
took  any  alarm  at  the  innovation. 

"  When  we  consider  the  great  diversity  of  the  humat 
character,  influenced  as  it  is  by  education,  by  opportunity, 
and  by  the  physical  and  moral  conditions  of  the  creature, 
my  dear  hearers,"  he  earnestly  concluded,  "  it  can  excite 
no  surprise,  that  creeds  so  very  different  in  their  tenden 
cies  should  grow  out  of  a  religion,  revealed,  it  is  true,  but 
whose  revelations  are  obscured  by  the  lapse  of  ages,  and 
whose  doctrines  were,  after  the  fashion  of  the  countries  in 
which  they  were  first  promulgated,  frequently  delivered  in 
parables,  and  in  a  language  abounding  in  metaphors,  and 
loaded  with  figures.  On  points  where  the  learned  have, 
in  purity  of  heart,  been  compelled  to  differ,  the  unlettered 
will  necessarily  be  at  variance.  But,  happily  for  us,  my 
brethren,  the  fountain  of  divine  love  flows  from  a  source 
too  pure  to  admit  of  pollution  in  its  course ;  it  extends,  to 
those  who  drink  of  its  vivifying  waters,  the  peace  of  the 
righteous,  and  life  everlasting ;  it  endures  through  all  time, 
and  it  pervades  creation.  If  there  be  mystery  in  its  work 
ings,  it  is  the  mystery  of  a  Divinity.  With  a  clear  knowl 
edge  of  the  nature,  the  might,  and  majesty  of  God,  there 
might  be  conviction,  but  there  could  be  no  faith.  If  we 
are  required  to  believe  in  doctrines  that  seem  not  in  con 
formity  with  the  deductions  of  human  wisdom,  let  us  never 
forget,  that  such  is  the  mandate  of  a  wisdom  that  is  infi 
nite.  It  is  sufficient  for  us  that  enough  is  developed  to 
point  otr  path  aright,  and  to  direct  our  wandering  stops  U 


124  THE  PIONEERS. 

that  portal  which  shall  open  on  the  light  of  an  eternal  day 
Then,  indeed,  it  may  be  humbly  hoped  that  the  film  which 
has  been  spread  by  the  subtleties  of  earthly  arguments, 
will  be  dissipated  by  the  spiritual  light  of  heaven  ;  and 
that  our  hour  of  probation,  by  the  aid  of  divine  grace, 
being  once  passed  in  triumph,  will  be  followed  by  an  -eter 
nity  of  intelligence,  and  endless  ages  of  fruition.  All  that 
is  now  obscure  shall  become  plain  to  our  expanded  facul 
ties  ;  and  what  to  our  present  senses  may  seem  irrecon 
cilable  to  our  limited  notions  of  mercy,  of  justice,  and  of 
love,  shall  stand,  irradiated  by  the  light  of  truth,  confess 
edly  the  suggestions  of  Omniscience,  and  the  acts  of  an 
All-powerful  Benevolence. 

"What  a  lesson  of  humility,  my  brethren,  might  not 
each  of  us  obtain  from  a  review  of  his  infant  hours,  and  the 
recollection  of  his  juvenile  passions  !  How  differently  do 
the  same  acts  of  parental  rigor  appear,  in  the  eyes  of  the 
suffering  child,  and  of  the  chastened  man !  When  the 
sophist  would  supplant,  with  the  wild  theories  of  his  worldly 
wisdom,  the  positive  mandates  of  inspiration,  let  him  re 
member  the  expansion  of  his  own  feeble  intellects,  and 
pause  —  let  him  feel  the  wisdom  of  God  in  what  is  par 
tially  concealed,  as  well  as  in  that  which  is  revealed ;  in 
short,  let  him  substitute  humility  for  pride  of  reason  —  let 
him  have  faith,  and  live  ! 

"  The  consideration  of  this  subject  is  full  of  consolation, 
my  hearers,  and  does  not  fail  to  bring  with  it  lessons  of 
humility  and  of  profit,  that,  duly  improved,  would  both 
chasten  the  heart  and  strengthen  the  feeble-minded  man  in 
his  course.  It  is  a  blessed  consolation  to  be  able  to  lay 
the  misdoubtings  of  our  arrogant  nature  at  the  threshold 
of  the  dwelling-place  of  the  Deity,  from  whence  they  shall 
be  swept  away,  at  the  great  opening  of  the  portal,  like  the 
mists  of  the  morning  before  the  rising  sun.  It  teaches  us 
a  lesson  of  humility,  by  impressing  us  with  the  imperfec 
tion  of  human  powers,  and  by  warning  us  of  the  many 
weak  points  where  we  are  open  to  the  attacks  of  the  great 
enemy  of  our  race ;  it  proves  to  us  that  we  are  in  danger 
of  being  weak,  when  our  vanity  would  fain  soothe  us  into 


THE  PIONEERS.  125 

the  belief  that  we  are  most  strong ;  it  forcibly  points  out 
to  us  the  vain -glory  of  intellect,  and  shows  us  the  vast  dif 
ference  between  a  saving  faith  and  the  'corollaries  of  a 
philosophical  theology ;  and  it  teaches  us  to  reduce  our 
self-examination  to  the  test  of  good  works.  By  good  works 
must  be  understood  the  fruits  of  repentance,  the  chiefest  of 
which  is  charity.  Not  that  charity  only,  which  causes  us 
to  help  the  needy  and  comfort  the  suffering,  but  that  feel 
ing  of  universal  philanthropy,  which,  by  teaching  us  to 
love,  causes  us  to  judge  with  lenity,  all  men  ;  striking  at 
the  root  of  self-righteousness,  and  warning  us  to  be  sparing 
of  our  condemnation  of  others,  while  our  own  salvation  is 
not  yet  secure. 

"  The  lesson  of  expediency,  my  brethren,  which  I  would 
gather  from  the  consideration  of  this  subject,  is  most 
strongly  inculcated  by  humility.  On  the  leading  and  essen 
tial  points  of  our  faith,  there  is  but  little  difference,  among 
those  classes  of  Christians  who  acknowledge  the  attributes 
of  the  Saviour,  and  depend  on  his  mediation.  But  heresies 
have  polluted  every  Church,  and  schisms  are  the  fruits  of 
disputation.  In  order  to  arrest  these  dangers,  and  to  insure 
the  union  of  his  followers,  it  would  seem  that  Christ  had 
established  his  visible  Church,  and  delegated  the  ministry. 
Wise  and  holy  men,  the  fathers  of  our  religion,  have  ex- 
pencjed  their  labors  in  clearing  what  was  revealed  from  the 
obscurities  of  language,  and  the  results  of  their  experience 
and  researches  have  been  embodied  in  the  form  of  evangel 
ical  discipline.  That  this  discipline  must  be  salutary,  is 
evident  from  the  view  of  the  weakness  of  human  nature 
that  we  have  already  taken ;  and  that  it  may  be  profitable 
to  us,  and  all  who  listen  to  its  precepts  and  its  liturgy,  may 
God,  in  his  infinite  wisdom,  grant.  And  now  to,"  etc. 

With  this  ingenious  reference  to  his  own  forms  and  min 
istry,  Mr.  Grant  concluded  the  discourse.  The  most  pro 
found  attention  had  been  paid  to  the  sermon  during  the 
whole  of  its  delivery,  although  the  prayers  had  not  been 
received  with  so  perfect  a  demonstration  of  respect.  This 
was  by  no  means  an  intended  slight  of  that  liturgy  to 
which  the  divine  alluded,  but  was  the  habit  of  a  people, 


126  THE  PIONEERS. 

who  owed  their  very  existence,  as  a  distinct  nation,  to  tht 
doctrinal  character  of  their  ancestors.  Sundry  looks  of 
private  dissatisfaction  were  exchanged  between  Hiram  and 
one  or  two  of  the  leading  members  of  the  conference,  but 
the  feeling  went  no  further  at  that  time ;  and  the  congre 
gation,  after  receiving  the  blessing  of  Mr  Grant,  dispersed 
in  silence,  and  with  great  decorum. 


THE  PIONEEBS.  127 


CHAPTER   XII. 

Your  creeds  and  dogmas  of  a  learned  church 
May  build  a  fabric,  fair  with  moral  beauty; 
But  it  would  seem,  that  the  strong  hand  of  God 
Can,  only,  'rase  the  devil  from  the  heart. 

Duo. 

WHILE  the  congregation  was  separating,  Mr.  Grant 
approached  the  place  where  Elizabeth  and  her  father  were 
seated,  leading  the  youthful  female  whom  we  have  men 
tioned  in  the  preceding  chapter,  and  presented  her  as  his 
daughter.  II 22-  reception  was  as  cordial  and  frank  as  the 
manners  of  the  country,  and  the  value  of  good  society,  could 
render  it ;  the  two  young  women  feeling,  instantly,  that 
they  were  necessary  to  the  comfort  of  each  other.  The 
Judge,  to  whom  the  clergyman's  daughter  was  also  a  stranger, 
was  pleased  to  find  one  who,  from  habift,  sex,  and  years, 
could  probably  contribute  largely  to  the  pleasures  of  his  own 
child,  during  her  first  privations,  on  her  removal  from  the 
associations  of  a  city  to  the  solitude  of  Templeton  ;  while 
Elizabeth,  who  had  been  forcibly  struck  with  the  sweetness 
and  devotion  of  the  youthful  suppliant,  removed  the  slight 
embarrassment  of  the  timid  stranger,  by  the  ease  of  her  own 
manners.  They  were  at  once  acquainted ;  and,  during  the 
ten  minutes  that  the  "  academy  "  was  clearing,  engagements 
were  made  between  the  young  people,  not  only  for  the  suc 
ceeding  day,  but  they  would  probably  have  embraced  in 
*heir  arrangements  half  of  the  winter,  had  not  the  divine 
interrupted  them,  by  saying  :  — 

i%  Gently,  gently,  my  dear  Miss  Temple,  or  you  will  make 
my  girl  too  dissipated.  You  forget  that  she  is  my  house 
keeper,  and  that  my  domestic  affairs  must  remain  unat* 
tended  to,  should  Louisa  accept  of  half  the  kind  offers  you 
are  so  good  as  to  make  her. ' 


128  THE  PIONEERS. 

"And  why  should  they  not  be  neglected  entirely,  sir?" 
interrupted  Elizabeth.  "  There  are  but  two  of  you  ;  and 
certain  I  am  that  my  father's  house  will  not  only  con 
tain  you  both,  but  will  open  its  doors  spontaneously,  to  re 
ceive  such  guests.  Society  is  a  good  not  to  be  rejected, 
on  account  of  cold  forms,  in  this  wilderness,  sir ;  and  1 
have  often  heard  my  father  say,  that  hospitality  is  not  a 
virtue  in  a  new  country,  the  favor  being  conferred  by  the 
guest." 

"  The  manner  in  which  Judge  Temple  exercises  its  ritea 
would  confirm  this  opinion ;  but  we  must  not  trespass  too 
freely.  Doubt  not  that  you  will  see  us  often,  my  child 
particularly,  during  the  frequent  visits  that  I  shall  be  com 
pelled  to  make  to  the  distant  parts  of  the  country.  But  to 
obtain  an  influence  with  such  a  people,"  he  continued, 
glancing  his  eyes  towards  the  few  who  were  still  lingering, 
curious  observers  of  the  interview,  "  a  clergyman  must  not 
awaken  envy  or  distrust,  by  dwelling  under  so  splendid  a 
roof  as  that  of  Judge  Temple." 

"  You  like  the  roof,  then,  Mr.  Grant,"  cried  Richard,  who 
had  been  directing  the  extinguishment  of  the  fires,  and  other 
little  necessary  duties,  and  who  approached  in  time  to  hear 
the  close  of  the  divine's  speech  ;  "  I  am  glad  to  find  one 
man  of  taste  at  last.  Here's  'Duke,  now,  pretends  to  call 
it  by  every  abusive  name  he  can  invent ;  but  though  'Duke 
is  a  very  tolerable  judge,  he  is  a  very  poor  carpenter,  let 
me  tell  him.  Well,  sir,  well,  I  think  we  may  say,  without 
'wasting,  that  the  service  was  as  well  performed  this  even 
ing  as  you  often  see ;  I  think,  quite  as  well  as  I  ever  knew 
it  to  be  done  in  old  Trinity, " —  that  is,  if  we  except  the 
organ.  But  there  is  the  schoolmaster  leads  the  psalm  with 
a  very  good  air.  I  used  to  lead  myself,  but  latterly  I  have 
/ling  nothing  but  bass.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  science 
to  bo  shown  in  the  bass,  and  it  affords  a  fine  opportunity  to 
show  off  a  full,  deep  voice.  Benjamin,  too,  sings  a  good 
bass,  though  he  is  often  out  in  the  words.  Did  you  evej 
hear  Benjamin  sing  the  '  Bay  of  Biscay,  O  '  ?  " 

"  I  believe  he  gave  us  part  of  it  this  evening,"  said  Mai> 
oaaduke,  laughing.  "  There  was  now  and  then,  a  fearfu 


THE   PIONEERS.  129 

quaver  in  his  voice,  and  it  seems  that  Mr.  Penguillian  is 
like  most  others,  who  do  one  thing  particularly  well ;  he 
knows  nothing  else.  He  has,  certainly,  a  wonderful  par 
tiality  to  one  tune,  and  he  has  a  prodigious  self-confidence 
in  that  one,  for  he  delivers  himself  like  a  northwester 
sweeping  across  the  lake.  But  come,  gentlemen,  our  way 
is  clear,  and  the  sleigh  waits.  Good  evening,  Mr  Grant. 
Good-night,  young  lady ;  remember  that  you  dine  beneath 
the  Corinthian  roof  to-morrow,  with  Elizabeth." 

The  party  separated,  Richard  holding  a  close  dissertation 
with  Mr.  Le  Quoi,  as  they  descended  the  stairs,  on  the 
subject  of  psalmody,  which  he  closed  by  a  violent  eulogium 
on  the  air  of  the  "  Bay  of  Biscay,  O,"  as  particularly  con 
nected  with  his  friend  Benjamin's  execution. 

During  the  preceding  dialogue,  Mohegan  retained  his 
seat,  with  his  head  shrouded  in  his  blanket,  as  seemingly 
inattentive  to  surrounding  objects  as  the  departing  congre 
gation  was,  itself,  to  the  presence  of  the  aged  chief.  Natty, 
also,  continued  on  the  log  where  he  had  first  placed  him 
self,  with  his  head  resting  on  one  of  his  hands,  while  the 
other  held  the  rifle,  which  was  thrown  carelessly  across  his 
lap.  His  countenance  expressed  uneasiness,  and  the  oc 
casional  unquiet  glances  that  he  had  thrown  around  him 
during  the  service,  plainly  indicated  some  unusual  causes 
for  unhuppiness.  His  continuing  seated  was,  however,  out 
of  respect  to  the  Indian  chief,  to  whom  he  paid  the  utmost 
deference  on  all  occasions,  although  it  was  mingled  with  the 
rough  manner  of  a  hunter. 

The  young  companion  of  these  two  ancient  inhabitants 
of  the  forest  remained  also,  standing  before  the  extinguished 
brands,  probably  from  an  unwillingness  to  depart  without 
his  comrades.  The  room  was  now  deserted  by  all  but  this 
group,  the  divine,  and  his  daughter.  As  the  party  from 
tie  Mansion-house  disappeared,  John  arose,  and  dropping 
his  blanket  from  his  head,  he  shook  back  the  mass  of  black 
hair  from  his  face,  and  approaching  Mr.  Grant,  he  extended 
bis  hand,  and  said  solemnly  :  — 

"  Father,  I  thank  you.  The  words  that  have  been  said, 
iince  the  rising  moon,  have  gone  upward,  and  the  Great 


180  THE  PIONEERS. 

Spirit  is  glad.  What  you  have  told  your  children,  thej 
will  remember,  and  be  good."  He  paused  a  moment,  and 
then,  elevating  himself  with  the  grandeur  of  an  Indian  chief, 
he  added,  "  If  Chiiigachgook  lives  to  travel  towards  the  set 
ting  sun,  after  his  tribe,  and  the  Great  Spirit  carries  him 
over  the  lakes  and  mountains  with  the  breath  in  his  body, 
he  will  tell  his  people  the  good  talk  he  has  heard;  anil 
they  will  believe  him  ;  for  who  can  say  that  Mohegan  hag 
ever  lied  ?  " 

"  Let  him  place  his  dependence  on  the  goodness  of  di 
vine  mercy,"  said  Mr.  Grant,  to  whom  the  proud  conscious 
ness  of  the  Indian  sounded  a  little  heterodox,  "  and  it  never 
will  desert  him.  When  the  heart  is  filled  with  love  to  God, 
there  is  no  room  for  sin.  But,  young  man,  to  you  I  owe 
not  only  an  obligation,  in  common  with  those  you  saved 
this  evening  on  the  mountain,  but  my  thanks,  for  your  re 
spectful  and  pious  manner  in  assisting  in  the  service  at  a 
most  embarrassing  moment.  I  should  be  happy  to  see  you 
sometimes  at  ray  dwelling,  when,  perhaps,  my  conversation 
may  strengthen  you  in  the  path  which  you  appear  to  have 
chosen.  It  is  so  unusual  to  find  one  of  your  age  and  appear 
ance,  in  these  woods,  at  all  acquainted  with  our  holy  liturgy, 
that  it  lessens  at  once  the  distance  between  us,  and  I  feel 
that  we  are  no  longer  strangers.  You  seem  quite  at  home 
in  the  service :  I  did  not  perceive  that  you  had  even  a  book, 
although  good  Mr.  Jones  had  laid  several  in  different  parts 
of  the  room." 

"  It  would  be  strange  if  I  were  ignorant  of  the  service  of 
our  Church,  sir,"  returned  the  youth  modestly ;  "  for  I  was 
baptized  in  its  communion,  and  I  have  never  yet  attended 
public  worship  elsewhere.  For  me  to  use  the  forms  of  any 
other  denomination,  would  be  as  singular  as  our  own  have 
pioved  to  the  people  here  this  evening." 

"  Vou  give  me  great  pleasure,  my  dear  sir,"  cried  the  di- 
\  ine,  seizing  the  other  by  the  hand,  and  shaking  it  cordially. 
••  You  will  go  home  with  me  now  —  indeed  you  must  — 
my  child  has  yet  to  thank  you  for  saving  my  life.  I  will 
listen  to  no  apologies.  This  worthy  Indian,  and  your 
friend,  there,  will  accompany  us.  Bless  me !  tc  think  thai 


THE  PIONEERS.  131 

he  has  arrived  at  manhood  in  this  country,  without  enteiing 
a  dissenting  1  meeting-house  ! " 

"  No,  no,"  interrupted  the  Leather-Stocking,  "  I  must 
away  to  the  wigwam  ;  there's  work  there  that  mustn't  be 
forgotten  for  all  your  churchings  and  merry-makings.  Let 
the  lad  go  with  you  in  welcome  ;  he  is  used  to  keeping 
company  with  ministers,  and  talking  of  such  matters ;  so  is 
old  John,  who  was  Christianized  by  the  Moravians  about  the 
time  of  the  old  war^-  But  I  am  a  plain,  unl'arned  man,  that 
has  sarved  both  the  king  and  his  country,  in  his  day,  agin 
the  French  and  savages,  but  never  so  much  as  looked  into 
a  book,  or  larnt  a  letter  of  scholarship,  in  my  born  days. 
I've  never  seen  the  use  of  such  in-door  work,  though  I  have 
lived  to  be  partly  bald,  and  in  my  time  have  killed  two 
hundred  beaver  in  a  season,  and  that  without  counting  the 
other  game.  If  you  mistrust  what  I  am  telling  you,  you 
can  ask  Chingachgook  there,  for  I  did  it  in  the  heart  of  the 
Delaware  country,  and  the  old  man  is  knowing  to  the  truth 
of  every  word  I  say." 

'.'  I  doubt  not,  my  friend,  that  you  have  been  both  a  val 
iant  soldier  and  skillful  hunter  in  your  day,"  said  the  divine  ; 
"  but  more  is  wanting  to  prepare  you  for  that  end  which 
approaches.  You  may  have  heard  the  maxim,  that '  Young 
men  may  die,  but  that  old  men  must.' " 

"  I'm  sure  I  never  was  so  great  a  fool  as  to  expect  to  live 
forever,"  said  Natty,  giving  one  of  his  silent  laughs ;  "  no 
man  need  do  that,  who  trails  the  savages  through  the  wood*, 
as  I  have  done,  and  lives,  for  the  hot  months,  on  the  lako 
streams.  I've  a  strong  constitution,  I  must  say  that  foi 
myself,  as  is  plain  to  be  seen ;  for  I've  drunk  the  Onondaga 
water  a  hundred  times,  while  I've  been  watching  the  deer- 
licks,  when  the  fever-an-agy  seeds  was  to  be  seen  in  it  as 
plain  and  as  plenty  as  you  can  see  the  rattlesnakes  on  old 
Crumhorn.  But  then,  I  never  expected  to  hold  out  for 
ever  ;  though  there's  them  living  who  have  seen  the  Gar- 
maii  Flats  a  wilderness ;  aye !  and  them  that's  1'arned,  and 

*  The  divines  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of  the  United  States  com 
monly  call  other  denominations  Dissenters,  though  there  never  was  an  ettab 
Usbed  cnunh  in  their  own  country' 


132  THE  PIONEERS. 

acquainted  with  religion,  too  ;  though  you  might  look  a  week, 
now,  and  not  find  even  the  stump  of  a  pine  on  them ;  and 
that's  a  wood  that  lasts  in  the  ground  the  better  part  of  a 
hundred  years  after  the  tree  is  dead." 

"  This  is  but  time,  my  good  friend,"  returned  Mr.  Giant, 
who  began  to  take  an  interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  new 
acquaintance,  "  but  I  would  have  you  prepare  for  eternity. 
It  is  incumbent  on  you  to  attend  places  of  public  worship, 
as  I  am  pleased  to  see  that  you  have  done  this  evening. 
Would  it  not  be  heedless  in  you  to  start  on  a  day's  toil  of 
hard  hunting,  and  leave  your  ramrod  and  flint  behind  ?  " 

"  It  must  be  a  young  hand  in  the  woods,"  interrupted 
Natty,  with  another  laugh,  "  that  didn't  know  how  to  dress  a 
rod  out  of  an  ash  sapling,  or  find  a  fire-stone  in  the  moun 
tains.  No,  no,  I  never  expected  to  live  forever ;  but  I  see, 
times  be  altering  in  these  mountains  from  what  they  was 
thirty  years  ago,  or,  for  that  matter,  ten  years.  But  might 
makes  right,  and  the  law  is  stronger  than  an  old  man, 
whether  he  is  one  that  has  much  Taming,  or  only  one  like 
me,  that  is  better  now  at  standing  at  the  passes  than  in  fol 
lowing  the  hounds,  as  I  once  used  to  could.  Heigh-ho  ! 
I  never  knowed  preaching  come  into  a  settlement  but  it 
made  game  scarce,  and  raised  the  price  of  gunpowder ;  and 
that's  a  thing  that's  not  as  easily  made  as  a  ramrod  or  an 
Indian  flint." 

The  divine,  perceiving  that  he  had  given  his  opponent 
an  argument  by  his  own  unfortunate  selection  of  a  compar 
ison,  very  prudently  relinquished  the  controversy ;  although 
he  was  fully  determined  to  resume  it  at  a  more  happy  mo 
ment.  Repeating  his  request  to  the  young  hunter,  with 
great  earnestness,  the  youth  and  Indian  consented  to  accom 
pany  him  and  his  daughter  to  the  dwelling  that  the  care  of 
Mr.  Jones  had  provided  for  their  temporary  residence. 
Leather-Stocking  persevered  in  his  intention  of  returning  to 
the  hut,  and  at  the  door  of  the  building  they  separated. 

'After  following  the  course  of  one  of  the  streets  of  the 
village  a  short  distance,  Mr.  Grant,  who  led  the  way,  turned 
into  a  field,  through  a  pair  of  open  bars,  and  entered  a  foot 
path,  of  but  sufficient  width  to  admit  one  person  to  walk  in 


THE  PIONEERS.  188 

it  at  a  time.  The  moon  had  gained  a  height  that  enabled 
her  to  throw  her  rays  perpendicularly  on  the  valley ;  and 
the  distinct  shadows  of  the  party  flitted  along  on  the  banks 
of  the  silver  snow,  like  the  presence  of  aerial  figures,  glid 
ing  to  their  appointed  place  of  meeting.  The  night  still 
continued  intensely  cold,  although  not  a  breath  of  wind  wa& 
felt.  The  path  was  beaten  so  hard,  that  the  gentle  female, 
who  made  one  of  the  party,  moved  with  ease  along  its  wind 
ings  ;  though  the  frost  emitted  a  low  creaking  at  the  impres 
sion  of  even  her  light  footsteps. 

The  clergyman,  in  his  dark  dress  of  broadcloth,  with  his 
mild,  benevolent  countenance  occasionally  turned  towards 
his  companions,  expressing  that  look  of  subdued  care  which 
was  its  characteristic,  presented  the  first  object  in  this  sin 
gular  group.  Next  to  him  moved  the  Indian,  his  hair  fall 
ing  about  his  face,  his  head  uncovered,  and  the  rest  of  his 
form  concealed  beneath  his  blanket.  As  his  swarthy  vis 
age,  with  its  muscles  fixed  in  rigid  composure,  was  seen  un 
der  the  light  of  the  moon,  which  struck  his  face  obliquely, 
he  seemed  a  picture  of  resigned  old  age  on  whom  the  storms 
of  winter  had  beaten  in  vain  for  the  greater  part  of  a  cen 
tury  ;  but  when,  in  turning  his  head,  the  rays  fell  directly 
on  his  dark,  fiery  eyes,  they  told  a  tale  of  passions  unre 
strained,  and  of  thoughts  free  as  air.  The  slight  person  of 
Miss  Grant,  which  followed  next,  and  which  was  but  too 
thinly  clad  for  the  severity  of  the  season,  formed  a  marked 
contrast  to  the  wild  attire  and  uneasy  glances  of  the  Dela 
ware  chief;  and  more  than  once  during  their  walk,  the 
young  hunter,  himself  no  insignificant  figure  in  the  group, 
was  led  to  consider  the  difference  in  the  human  form,  as  the 
face  of  Mohegan,  and  the  gentle  countenance  of  Miss  Grant, 
with  eyes  that  rivaled  the  soft  hue  of  the  sky,  met  Ins  view 
at  the  instant  that  each  turned  to  throw  a  glance  at  the 
splendid  orb  which  lighted  their  path.  Their  way,  which 
led  through  fields  that  lay  at  some  distance  in  the  rear  of 
the  houses,  was  cheered  by  a  conversation  that  flagged  or 
became  animated  with  the  subject.  The  first  to  speak  wai 
the  divine. 

"  Really,"  he  said,  "  it  is  so  singular  a  circumstance  to 


134  THE  PIONEERS. 

meet  with  one  of  your  age,  that  has  not  been  induced  by 
idle  curiosity  to  visit  any  other  church  than  the  one  in 
which  he  lias  been  educated,  that  I  feel  a  strong  curiosity 
to  know  the  history  of  a  life  so  fortunately  regulated.  Your 
education  must  have  been  excellent ;  as  indeed  is  evident 
from  your  manners  and  language.  Of  which  of  the  States 
are  you  a  native,  Mr.  Edwards?  for  such,  I  believe,  was  $ha 
name  that  you  gave  Judge  Temple." 

"  Of  this." 

"  Of  this !  I  was  at  a  loss  to  conjecture,  from  ycur 
dialect,  which  docs  not  partake,  particularly,  of  the.pecul* 
iarities  of  any  country  with  which  I  am  acquainted.  You 
have,  then,  resided  much  in  the  cities,  for  no  other  part  of 
this  country  is  so  fortunate  as  to  possess  the  constant  enjoy 
ment  of  our  excellent  liturgy." 

The  young  hunter  smiled,  as  he  listened  to  the  divine 
while  he  so  clearly  betrayed  from  what  part  of  the  country 
he  had  come  himself;  but  for  reasons  probably  connected 
with  his  present  situation,  he  made  no  answer. 

"  I  am  delighted  to  meet  with  you,  my  young  friend,  for 
I  think  an  ingenuous  mind,  such  as  I  doubt  not  yours  must 
be,  will  exhibit  all  the  advantages  of  a  settled  doctrine  and 
devout  liturgy.  You  perceive  how  I  was  compelled  to  bend 
to  the  humors  of  my  hearers  this  evening.  Good  Mr. 
Jones  wished  me  to  read  the  communion,  and.  in  fact,  all 
the  morning  service ;  but,  happily,  the  canons  do  not  require 
this  of  an  evening.  It  would  have  wearied  a  new  congre- 
gation :  but  to-morrow  I  purpose  administering  the  sacra-  * 
ment.  Do  you  commune,  my  young  friend?" 

"I  believe  not,  sir,"  returned  the  youth,  with  a  little 
embarrassment,  that  was  not  all  diminished  by  Miss  Grant's 
pausing  involuntarily,  and  tir  ning  her  eyes  on  him  in  sur 
prise,  "  I  fear  that  I  am  not  qualified ;  I  have  never  yet 
approached  the  altar ;  neither  would  I  wish  to  do  it,  while 
I  find  so  much  of  the  world  clinging  to  my  heart." 

"Each  must  judge  for  himself,"  said  Mr.  Gratit;  "though 
[  should  think  that  a  youth  who  had  never  been  blown 
about  by  the  wind  of  false  doctrines,  and  who  has  enjoyed 
the  advantages  of  our  liturgy  for  so  many  years  in  its  purity 


THE  PIONEERS.  135 

might  safely  coma.  Yet,  sir,  it  is  a  solemn  festival,  which 
none  should  celebrate  until  there  is  reason  to  hope  it  is 
not  mockery.  I  observed  this  evening,  in  your  manner  to 
Judge  Temple,  a  resentment  that  bordered  on  one  of  the 
worst  of  human  passions.  We  will  cross  this  brook  on  the 
ice :  it  must  bear  us  all,  I  think,  in  safety.  Be  careful  not 
to  slip,  my  child."  While  speaking,  he  descended  a  little 
bank  by  the  path,  and  crossed  one  of  the  small  streams  that 
poured  their  waters  into  the  lake ;  and,  turning  to  see  his 
daughter  pass,  observed  that  the  youth  had  advanced,  and 
was  kindly  directing  her  footsteps.  When  all  were  safely 
over,  he  moved  up  the  opposite  bank,  and  continued  his 
discourse.  "  It  was  wrong,  my  dear  sir,  very  wrong,  to 
suffer  such  feelings  to  rise,  under  any  circumstances,  and 
especially  in  the  present,  where  the  evil  was  not  intended." 

"  There  is  good  in  the  talk  of  my  father,"  said  Mohegan, 
stopping  short,  arid  causing  those  who  were  behind  him  to 
pause  also ;  "  it  is  the  talk  of  Miquon.  The  white  man 
may  do  as  his  fathers  have  told  him ;  but  the  Young  Eagle 
has  the  blood  of  a  Delaware  chief  in  his  veins :  it  is  red, 
and  the  stain  it  makes  can  only  be  washed  out  with  the 
blood  of  a  Mingo." 

Mr.  Grant  was  surprised  by  the  interruption  of  the 
Indian,  and,  stopping,  faced  the  speaker.  His  mild  features 
were  confronted  to  the  fierce  and  determined  looks  of  the 
chief,  and  expressed  the  horror  he  felt  at  hearing  such  senti 
ments  from  one  who  professed  the  religion  of  his  Saviour. 
Raising  his  hands  to  a  level  with  his  head,  he  exclaimed,  — 

"  John,  John  !  is  this  the  religion  that  you  have  learned 
from  the  Moravians  ?  But  no  —  I  will  not  be  so  unchari 
table  as  to  suppose  it.  They  are  a  pious,  a  gentle,  and  a 
mild  people,  and  could  never  tolerate  these  passions.  Listen 
I  o  the  language  of  the  Redeemer :  « But  I  say  unto  you, 
'ove  your  enemies;  bless  them  that  curse  you;  do  good  to 
i  hem  that  hate  you ;  pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use 
yDU  and  persecute  you.'  This  is  the  command  of  God, 
John,  and  without  striving  to  cultivate  such  feelings,  no 
man  can  see  Him." 

The  Indian  heard  the  divine  with  attention ;  the  onusual 


136  THE  PIONEERS. 

fire  of  his  eye  gradually  softened,  and  his  muscles  relaxed 
into  their  ordinary  composure  ;  but,  slightly  shaking  his 
head,  he  motioned  with  dignity  for  Mr.  Grant  to  resume  his 
walk,  and  followed  himself  in  silence.  The  agitation  of  the 
divine  caused  him  to  move  with  unusual  rapidity  along  the 
deep  path,  and  the  Indian,  without  any  apparent  exertion, 
kept  an  equal  pace ;  but  the  young  hunter  observed  the 
female  to  linger  in  her  steps,  until  a  trilling  distance  inter 
vened  between  the  two  former  and  the  latter.  Struck  by 
the  circumstance,  and  not  perceiving  any  new  impediment 
to  retard  her  footsteps,  the  youth  made  a  tender  of  his 
assistance. 

"  You  are  fatigued,  Miss  Grant,"  he  said ;  "  the  snow 
yields  to  the  foot,  and  you  are  unequal  to  the  strides  of  us 
men.  Step  on  the  crust,  I  entreat  you,  and  take  the  help 
of  my  arm.  Yonder  light  is,  I  believe,  the  house  of  your 
father ;  but  it  seems  yet  at  some  distance." 

"  I  am  quite  equal  to  the  walk,"  returned  a  low,  tremu 
lous  voice  ;  "  but  I  am  startled  by  the  manner  of  that  Indian. 
O!  his  e}~e  was  horrid,  as  he  turned  to  the  moon,  in  speak 
ing  to  my  father.  But  I  forget,  sir ;  he  is  your  friend,  and 
by  his  language  may  be  your  relative ;  and  yet  of  you  I  do 
not  feel  afraid." 

The  young  man  stepped  on  the  bank  of  snow,  which 
firmly  sustained  his  weight,  and  by  a  gentle  effort  induced 
his  companion  to  follow.  Drawing  her  arm  through  his 
own,  he  lifted  his  cap  from  his  head,  allowing  the  dark  locks 
to  flow  in  rich  curls  over  his  open  brow,  and  walked  by  her 
side  with  an  air  of  conscious  pride,  as  if  inviting  an  exami 
nation  of  his  inmost  thoughts.  Louisa  took  but  a  furtive 
glance  at  his  person,  and  moved  quietly  along,  at  a  rate  that 
was  greatly  quickened  by  the  aid  of  his  arm. 

"  You  are  but  little  acquainted  with  this  peculiar  people, 
Miss  Grant,"  he  said,  "  or  you  would  know  that  revenge  is 
a  virtue  with  an  Indian.  They  are  taught,  from  infancy 
upwards,  to  believe  it  a  duty  never  to  allow  an  injury  to 
pass  unrcvenged;  and  nothing  but  the  stronger  claims  of 
hospitality  can  guard  one  against  their  resentments,  whert 
they  haro  power.'' 


THE  PIONEERS.  187 

u  Surely,  sir,"  said  Miss  Grant,  involuntarily  withdrawing 
her  arm  from  his,  "  you  have  not  been  educated  with  such 
unholy  sentiments." 

"  It  might  be  a  sufficient  answer  to  your  excellent  father, 
to  say,  that  I  was  educated  in  the  Church,"  he  returned ; 
"  but  to  you  I  will  add,  that  I  have  bosn  taught  deep  and 
practical  lessons  of  forgiveness.  I  believe  that,  on  this  sub 
ject,  I  have  but  little  cause  to  reproach  myself;  it  shall  bo 
my  endeavor  that  there  yet  be  less." 

While  speaking,  he  stopped,  and  stood  with  his  arm  again 
proffered  to  her  assistance.  As  he  ended,  she  quietly  ac 
cepted  his  offer,  and  they  resumed  their  walk. 

Mr.  Grant  and  Mohegan  had  reached  the  door  of  the 
former's  residence,  and  stood  waiting  near  its  threshold  for 
the  arrival  of  their  young  companions.  The  former  was 
earnestly  occupied  in  endeavoring  to  correct,  by  his  pre 
cepts,  the  evil  propensities  that  he  had  discovered  in  the 
Indian  during  their  conversation ;  to  which  the  latter  list 
ened  in  profound,  but  respectful  attention.  On  the  arrival 
of  the  young  hunter  and  the  lady,  they  entered  the  building. 
The  house  stood  at  some  distance  from  the  village,  in  the 
centre  of  a  field,  surrounded  by  stumps  that  were  peering 
above  the  snow,  bearing  caps  of  pure  white,  nearly  two  feet 
in  thickness.  Not  a  tree  nor  a  shrub  was  nigh  it ;  but  the 
house  externally  exhibited  that  cheerless,  unfinished  aspect 
which  is  so  common  to  the  hastily  erected  dwellings  of  a 
new  country.  The  uninviting  character  of  its  outside  was, 
However,  happily  relieved  by  the  exquisite  neatness  and 
comfortable  warmth  within. 

They  entered  an  apartment  that  was  fitted  as  a  parlor, 
though  the  large  fire-place,  with  its  culinary  arrangements, 
Betrayed  the  domestic  uses  to  which  it  was  occasionally 
applied.  The  bright  blaze  from  the  hearth  rendered  the 
light  that  proceeded  from  the  candle  Louisa  produced, 
annecessary  ;  for  the  scanty  furniture  of  the  room  was 
easily  seen  and  examined  by  the  former.  The  floor  was 
covered  in  the  centre  by  a  carpet  made  of  rags,  a  species  of 
noanufacture  that  was  then,  and  yet  continues  to  be,  much 
Sa  use  in  the  interior ;  while  its  edges,  that  were  exposed 


138  THE  PIONEERS. 

to  view,  were  of  unspotted  cleanliness.  There  was  a  tri 
fling  air  of  better  life  in  a  tea-table  and  work-stand,  as  well 
as  in  an  old-fashioned  mahogany  book-case ;  but  the  chairs, 
the  dining-table,  and  the  rest  of  the  furniture,  were  of  the 
plainest  and  cheapest  construction.  Against  the  walls  were 
hung  a  few  specimens  of  needle-work  and  drawing,  the 
former  executed  with  great  neatness,  though  of  somewhat 
equivocal  merit  in  their  designs,  while  the  latter  were  strik 
ingly  deficient  in  both. 

One  of  the  former  represented  a  tomb,  with  a  youthful 
female  weeping  over  it,  exhibiting  a  church  with  arched 
windows  in  the  background.  On  the  tomb  wer«  the  names, 
with  the  dates  of  the  births  and  deaths,  of  several  individ 
uals,  all  of  whom  bore  the  name  of  Grant.  An  extremely 
cursory  glance  at  this  record  was  sufficient  to  discover  to 
the  young  hunter  the  domestic  state  of  the  divine.  He 
there  read,  that  he  was  a  widower ;  and  that  the  innocent 
and  timid  maiden,  who  had  been  his  companion,  was  the  only 
survivor  of  six  children.  The  knowledge  of  the  depend 
ence  which  each  of  these  meek  Christians  had  on  the  other, 
for  happiness,  threw  an  additional  charm  around  the  gentle, 
but  kind  attentions,  which  the  daughter  paid  to  the  father. 

These  observations  occurred  while  the  party  were  seating 
themselves  before  the  cheerful  fire,  during  which  time  there 
was  a  suspension  of  discourse.  But  when  each  was  com 
fortably  arranged,  and  Louisa,  after  laying  aside  a  thin  coat 
of  faded  silk,  and  a  gipsy  hat,  that  was  more  becoming  to 
her  modest,  ingenuous  countenance  than  appropriate  to  the 
season,  had  taken  a  chair  between  her  father  and  the  youth, 
che  former  resumed  the  conversation. 

"  I  trust,  my  young  friend,"  he  said,  "  that  the  education 
you  have  received  has  eradicated  most  of  those  revengeful 
principles  which  you  may  have  inherited  by  descent,  for  I 
understand  from  the  expressions  of  John,  that  you  have 
some  of  the  blood  of  the  Delaware  tribe.  Do  not  mistake 
rfae,  I  beg,  for  it  is  not  color,  nor  lineage,  that  constitutes 
merit ;  and  I  know  not  that  he  who  claims  atliiiity  to  the 
proper  owners  of  this  soil  has  not  the  best  right  to  tread 
these  hills  with  the  lightest  conscience." 


THE  PIONEERS.  139 

Mohegan  turned  solemnly  to  the  speaker,  and.  with  th« 
peculiarly  significant  gestures  of  an  Indian,  he  spoke  :  — 

"  Father,  you  are  not  yet  past  the  summer  of  life ;  your 
limbs  are  young.  Go  to  the  highest  hill,  and  look  arouna 
you.  All  that  you  see,  from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun, 
from  the  head  waters  of  the  great  spring,  to  where  the 
Crooked  River  1  is  hid  by  the  hills,  is  his.  He  has  Dela 
ware  blood,  and  his  right  is  strong.  But  the  brother  of 
Miquon  is  just ;  he  will  cut  the  country  in  two  parts,  as  the 
riv.^r  cuts  the  lowlands,  and  will  say  to  the  Young  Eagle, 
Child  of  the  Dela'wares !  take  it  —  keep  it  —  and  be  a  chief 
in  the  laud  of  your  fathers." 

"  Never ! "  exclaimed  the  young  hunter,  with  a  vehe 
mence  that  destroyed  the  rapt  attention  with  which  the  divine 
and  his  daughter  were  listening  to  the  Indian.  "  The  wolf 
of  the  forest  is  not  more  rapacious  for  his  prey,  than  that 
man  is  greedy  of  gold  ;  and  yet  his  glidings  into  wealth  are 
subtle  as  the  movements  of  a  serpent." 

"Forbear,  forbear,  my  son,  forbear,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Grant.  "  These  angry  passions  must  be  subdued.  The 
accidental  injury  you  have  received  from  Judge  Temple  has 
heightened  the  sense  of  your  hereditary  wrongs.  But 
remember  that  the  one  was  unintentional,  and  that  the  other 
is  the  effect  of  political  changes,  which  have,  in  their  course, 
greatly  lowered  the  pride  of  kings,  and  swept  mighty  nations 
from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Where  now  are  the  Philistines, 
who  so  often  held  the  children  of  Israel  in  bondage  ?  or 
that  city  of  Babylon,  which  rioted  in  luxury  and  vice,  and 
who  styled  herself  the  Queen  of  Nations  in  the  drunkenness 
of  her  pride  ?  Remember  the  prayer  of  our  holy  litany 
where  we  implore  the  Divine  Power  — *  that  it  may  please 
Thee  to  forgive  our  enemies,  persecutors,  and  slanderers,  and 
to  turn  their  hearts.'  The  sin  of  the  wrongs  which  have 
been  done  to  the  natives  is  shared  by  Judge  Temple  only  in 
common  with  a  whole  people,  and  your  arm  will  speedily 
X3  restored  to  its  strength." 

i  The  Susquehanna  means  "  crooked  river ;  "  "  hannah,"  or  "  bannock," 
meant  "  river,"  in  many  of  the  native  dialects.  Thus  we  find  Rappahannock 
ia  far  south  as  Virginia. 


140  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  This  arm ! "  repeated  the  youth,  pacing  the  floor  in 
violent  agitation  "  Think  you,  sir,  that  I  believe  the  man 
a  murderer?  O,  no !  he  is  too  wily,  too  cowardly  for  such  a 
crime.  But  let  him  and  his  daughter  riot  in  their  wealth ; 
a  day  of  retribution  will  come.  No,  no,  no,"  he  continued, 
as  he  trod  the  floor  more  calmly,  "  it  is  for  Mohegan  to  sus 
pect  him  of  an  intent  to  injure  me :  but  the  trifle  is  not 
worth  a  second  thought." 

He  seated  himself,  and  hid  his  face  between  his  hands,  as 
they  rested  on  his  knees. 

"  It  is  the  hereditary  violence  of  a  native's  passion,  my 
child,"  said  Mr.  Grant  in  a  low  tone,  to  his  affrighted 
daughter,  who  was  clinging  in  terror  to  his  arm.  "  He  is 
mixed  with  the  blood  of  the  Indians,  you  have  heard ;  and 
neither  the  refinements  of  education,  nor  the  advantages  of 
our  excellent  liturgy,  have  been  able  entirely  to  eradicate 
the  evil.  But  care  and  time  will  do  much  for  him  yet." 

Although  the  divine  spoke  in  a  low  tone,  yet  what  he 
uttered  was  heard  by  the  youth,  who  raised  his  head,  with  a 
smile  of  indefinite  expression,  and  spoke  more  calmly. 

a  Be  not  alarmed,  Miss  Grant,  at  either  the  wildness  of 
my  manner  or  that  of  my  dress.  I  have  been  carried  away 
by  passions  that  I  should  struggle  to  repress.  I  must  attrib 
ute  it,  with  your  father,  to  the  blood  in  my  veins,  although 
I  would  not  impeach  my  lineage  willingly ;  for  it  is  all  that 
is  left  me  to  boast  of.  Yes !  I  am  proud  of  my  descent 
from  a  Delaware  chief,  who  was  a  warrior v  that  ennobled 
human  nature.  Old  Mohegan  was  his  friend,  and  will  vouch  • 
for  his  virtues." 

Mr.  Grant  here  took  up  the  discourse,  and,  finding  the 
young  man  more  calm,  and  the  aged  chief  attentive,  he 
entered  into  a  full  and  theological  discussion  of  the  duty  of 
forgiveness.  The  conversation  lasted  for  more  than  an 
hour,  when  the  visitors  arose,  and,  after  exchanging  good 
wishes  with  their  entertainers,  they  departed.  At  the  dooi 
they  separated,  Mohegan  taking  the  direct  route  to  the 
village,  while  the  youth  moved  towards  the  lake.  The 
divine  stood  at  the  entrance  of  his  dwelling,  regarding  the 
figure  of  the  aged  chief  as  it  glided,  at  an  astonishing  gai» 


THE   PIONEERS.  141 

for  his  years,  along  the  deep  path ;  his  black,  straight  hair 
just  visible  over  the  bundle  tormed  by  his  blanket,  which 
was  sometimes  blended  with  the  snow,  under  the  silvery 
light  of  the  moon.  From  the  rear  of  the  house  was  a 
window  that  overlooked  the  lake;  and  here  Louisa  was 
found  by  her  father,  when  he  entered,  gazing  intently  on 
some  object  in  the  direction  of  the  eastern  mountain,  lie 
approached  the  spot,  and  saw  the  figure  of  the  young  huntei, 
at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile,  walking  with  prodigious  steps 
across  the  wide  fields  of  frozen  snow  that  covered  the  ice, 
towards  the  point  where  he  knew  the  hut  inhabited  by  the 
Leather-Stocking  was  situated  on  the  margin  of  the  lake, 
under  a  rock  that  was  crowned  by  pines  and  hemlocks.  At 
the  next  instant,  the  wildly-looking  form  entered  the  shadow 
cast  from  the  overhanging  trees,  and  was  lost  to  view. 

"  It  is  marvelous  how  long  the  propensities  of  the  savage 
continue  in  that  remarkable  race,"  said  the  good  divine ; 
"  but  if  he  persevere  as  he  has  commenced,  his  triumph  shall 
yet  be  complete.  Put  me  in  mind,  Louisa,  to  lend  him  the 
homily  *  Against  Peril  of  Idolatry,'  at  his  next  visit." 

"  Surely,  father,  you  do  not  think  him  in  danger  of 
relapsing  into  the  worship  of  his  ancestors  !  " 

"  No,  my  child,"  returned  the  clergyman,  laying  his  hand 
affectionately  on  her  flaxen  locks,  and  smiling ;  "  his  white 
blood  would  prevent  it ;  but  there  is  such  a  thing  ae  the 
idolatry  of  our  passions. ' 


142  THE  PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER 

And  I'll  drink  out  of  the  quart  pot, — 
Here's  a  health  to  the  barley  mow. 

DRINKUTO  SOKG. 

ON  one  of  the  corners  where  the  two  principal  streets  of 
Tcmpleton  intersected  each  other,  stood,  as  we  have  already 
mentioned,  the  inn  called  the  "  Bold  Dragoon."  In  the 
original  plan,1  it  was  ordained  that  the  village  should  stretch 
along  the  little  stream  that  rushed  down  the  valley ;  and 
the  street  which  led  from  the  lake  to  the  academy  was  in 
tended  to  be  its  western  boundary.  But  convenience  fre 
quently  frustrates  the  best  regulated  plans.  The  house  of 
Mr.,  or  as,  in  consequence  of  commanding  the  militia  of  that 
vicinity,  he  was  called,  Captain  Hollister,  had,  at  an  early 
day,  been  erected  directly  facing  the  main  street,  and  osten 
sibly  interposed  a  barrier  to  its  further  progress.  Horse 
men,  and  subsequently  teamsters,  however,  availed  them 
selves  of  an  opening,  at  the  end  of  the  building,  to  shorten 
their  passage  westward,  until,  in  time,  the  regular  highway 
was  laid  out  along  this  course,  and  houses  were  gradually 
built  on  either  side,  so  as  effectually  to  prevent  any  subse- » 
quent  correction  of  the  evil. 

Two  material  consequences  followed  this  change  in  the 
regular  plans  of  Marmaduke.  The  main  street,  after  run 
ning  about  half  its  length,  was  suddenly  reduced  to  precisely 
that  difference  in  its  width  ;  and  the  "  Bold  Dragoon  "  be 
cainc,  next  to  the  Mansion-house,  by  far  the  most  conspicu 
ous  edifice  in  the  place. 

ITiis  conspicuousness,  aided  by  the  characters  of  the  host 
and  hostess,  gave  the  tavern  an  advantage  over  all  its  future 
competitors,  that  no  circumstances  could  conquer.  An 
eiFort  was,  however,  made  to  do  so ;  and  at  the  corner 

1  See  Appendix,  Note  F. 


THE  PIONEERS.  148 

diagonally  opposite,  stood  a  new  building  that  was  intended, 
by  its  occupants,  to  look  down  all  opposition.  It  was  a 
house  of  wood,  ornamented  in  the  prevailing  style  of  archi 
tecture,  and  about  the  roof  and  balustrades,  was  one  of  tho 
three  imitators  of  the  Mansion-house.  The  upper  windows 
were  filled  with  rough  boards  secured  by  nails,  to  keep  out 
the  cold  air ;  for  the  edifice  was  far  from  finished,  although 
glass  was  to  be  seen  in  the  lower  apartments,  and  the  light 
of  the  powerful  fires  within  denoted  that  it  was  already  in 
habited.  The  exterior  was  painted  white  on  the  front,  and 
on  the  end  which  was  exposed  to  the  street ;  but  in  the 
rear,  and  on  the  side  which  was  intended  to  join  the  neigh 
boring  house,  it  was  coarsely  smeared  with  Spanish  brown. 
Before  the  door  stood  two  lofty  posts,  connected  at  the  top 
by  a  beam,  from  which  was  suspended  an  enormous  sign,  or 
namented  around  its  edges  with  certain  curious  carvings  in 
pine  boards,  and  on  its  faces  loaded  with  masonic  emblems. 
Over  these  mysterious  figures  was  written,  in  large  letters, 
«  The  Templeton  Coffee-House,  and  Travellers'  Hotel,"  and 
beneath  them,  "  By  Habakkuk  Foote  and  Joshua  Knapp." 
This  was  a  fearful  rival  to  the  "  Bold  Dragoon,"  as  our 
readers  will  the  more  readily  perceive,  when  we  add  that 
the  same  sonorous  names  were  to  be  seen  over  the  door  of  a 
newly  erected  store  in  the  village,  a  hatter's  shop,  and  the 
gates  of  a  tan-yard.  But,  either  because  too  much  was  at 
tempted  to  be  executed  well,' or  that  the  "  Bold  Dragoon  " 
had  established  a  reputation  which  could  net  be  easily 
shaken,  not  only  Judge  Temple  and  his  friends,  but  most 
of  ftie  villagers  also,  who  were  not  in  debt  to  the  powerful 
firm  we  have  named,  frequented  the  inn  of  Captain  Hollis- 
ter,  on  all  occasions  where  such  a  house  was  necessary. 

On  the  present  evening  the  limping  veteran  and  his  con 
sort  were  hardly  housed  after  their  return  from  the  academy, 
when  the  sounds  of  stamping  feet  at  their  threshold  announced 
the  approach  of  visitors,  who  were  probably  assembling  with 
a  view  to  compare  opinions  on  the  subject  of  the  ceremonies 
they  had  witnessed. 

The  public,  or  as  it  was  called,  the  "  bar-room,"  of  the 
Bold  Dragoon,"  was  a  spacious  apartment,  lined  on  three 


144  THE  PIONEERS. 

§ides  with  benches,  and  on  the  fourth  by  fire-places.  Of  the 
latter  there  were  two  of  such  size  as  to  occupy,  with  their 
enormous  jambs,  the  whole  of  that  side  of  the  apartment 
where  they  were  placed,  excepting  room  enough  for  a  door 
or  two,  and  a  little  apartment  in  one  corner,  which  was  pro 
tected  by  miniature  palisadocs,  and  profusely  garnished  with 
bottles  and  glasses.  In  the  entrance  to  this  sanctuary,  Mrs, 
Hollister  was  seated,  with  great  gravity  in  her  air,  while  her 
husband  occupied  himself  with  stirring  the  fires  ;  moving  the 
logs  with  a  large  stake  burnt  to  a  point  at  one  end. 

"  There,  sargeant,  dear,"  said  the  landlady,  after  she 
thought  the  veteran  had  got  the  logs  arranged  in  the  most 
judicious  manner,  "  give  over  poking,  for  it's  no  good  ye'll 
be  doing,  now  that  they  burn  so  convaniently.  There's  tho 
glasses  on  the  table  there,  and  the  mug  that  the  Doctor  was 
taking  his  cider  and  ginger  in,  before  the  fire  here — just 
put  them  in  the  bar,  will  ye  ?  for  we'll  be  having  the  Jooge, 
and  the  Major,  and  Mr.  Jones  down  the  night,  without 
reckoning  Benjamin  Poomp,  and  the  lawyers  ;  so  ye'll  bo 
fixing  the  room  tidy ;  and  put  both  flip-irons  in  the  coals  ; 
and  tell  Jude,  the  lazy  black  baste,  that  if  she's  no  be  clane- 
ing  up  the  kitchen  I'll  turn  her  out  of  the  house,  and  she 
may  live  wid  the  jontlemen  that  kape  the  '  Coffee-House/ 
good  luck  to  'em.  Och  !  sargeant,  sure  it's  a  great  priv 
ilege  to  go  to  a  mateing  where  a  body  can  sit  asy,  widout 
joomping  up  and  down  so  often,  as  this  Mr.  Grant  is  doing 
that  same." 

"  It's  a  privilege  at  all  times,  Mrs.  Hollister,  whether  we, 
stand  or  be  seated  ;  or,  as  good  Mr.  Whitefield  used  to  do 
after  he  had  made  a  wearisome  day's  march,  get  on  our 
knees  and  pray,  like  Moses  of  old,  with  a  flanker  to  the 
right  and  left,  to  lift  his  hands  to  heaven,"  returned  her 
husband,  who  composedly  performed  what  she  had  directed 
to  be  done.  "  It  was  a  very  pretty  fight,  Betty,  that  the 
Israelites  had  on  that  day  with  the  Amalekites.  It  seems 
that  they  fou't  on  a  plain,  for  Moses  is  mentioned  as  having 
gone  on  to  the  heights  to  overlook  the  battle,  and  wrestle  in 
prayer ;  and  if  I  should  judge,  with  my  little  Taming,  the 
Israelites  depended  mainly  on  their  horse,  for  it  is  written 


THE  PIONEERS,  145 

that  Joshua  cut  up  the  enemy  with  the  edge  of  the  swcrd 
from  which  I  infer,  not  only  that  they  were  horse,  but  well 
disciplyned  troops.  Indeed,  it  says  as  much  as  that  they 
were  chosen  men  ;  quite  likely  volunteers  ;  for  raw  dragoons 
seldom  strike  with  the  e  ige  of  their  swords,  particularly  if 
the  weapon  be  any  way  crooked." 

"  Pshaw  !  why  do  ye  bother  yourself  wid  taxts,  man, 
about  so  small  a  matter,"  interrupted  the  landlady  ;  "  sure, 
it  was  the  Lord  who  was  with  'em ;  for  He  always  sided  wid 
the  Jews,  before  the"y  fell  away ;  and  it's  but  little  matter 
what  kind  of  men  Joshua  commanded,  so  that  he  was 
doing  the  right  bidding.  Aven  them  cursed  millaishy— — 
the  Lord  forgive  me  for  swearing  —  that  was  the  death  of 
him,  wid  their  cowardice,  would  have  carried  the  day  in 
old  times.  There's  no  r'ason  to  be  thinking  that  the  sol 
diers  were  used  to  the  drill." 

"  I  must  say,  Mrs.  Hollister,  that  I  have  not  often  seen 
raw  troops  fight  better  than  the  left  flank  of  the  militia,  at 
the  time  you  mention.  They  rallied  handsomely,  and  that 
without  beat  of  drum,  which  is  no  easy  thing  to  do  under 
fire,  and  were  very  steady  till  he  fell.  But  the  Scriptures 
contain  no  unnecessary  words  ;  and  I  will  maintain  that 
horse,  who  know  how  to  strike  with  the  edge  of  the  sword, 
must  be  well  disciplyned.  Many  a  good  sarmon  has  been 
preached  about  smaller  matters  than  that  one  word !  If 
the  text  was  not  meant  to  be  particular,  why  wasn't  it  writ 
ten  with  the  sword,'  and  not  with  the  edge  ?  Now,  a  back 
handed  stroke,  on  the  edge,  takes  long  practice.  Goodness ! 
what  an  argument  would  Mr.  Whitefield  make  of  that  word 
edge !  As  to  the  captain,  if  he  had  called  up  the  guard 
of  dragoons  when  he  rallied  the  foot,  they  would  have 
ghown  the  inimy  what  the  edge  of  a  sword  was ;  for,  al 
though  there  was  no  commissioned  officer  with  them,  yet  I 
think  I  may  say,"  the  veteran  continued,  stiffening  his  cra 
vat  about  the  thro  it,  and  raising  himself  up,  with  the  air 
•>f  a  drill  sergeant,  "  they  were  led  by  a  man  who  knowed 
tiow  to  bring  them  on,  in  spite  of  the  ravine." 

"  Is  it  lade  on  ye  would,"  cried  the  landlady,  "  when  ye 
know  yourself,  Mr.   Hollister,  that  the  baste  he  rode  wan 
10 


146  THE  PIONEERS. 

but  little  able  to  joomp  from  one  rock  to  another,  and  the 
animal  was  as  spry  as  a  squirrel  ?  Ocli !  but  it's  useless  to 
talk,  foi  he's  gone  this  many  a  year.  I  would  that  he  had 
lived  to  see  the  true  light ;  but  there's  mercy  for  a  brave 
sowl,  that  died  in  the  saddle,  fighting  for  the  liberty.  It  is 
a  poor  tombstone  they  have  given  him,  any  way,  and  many 
a  good  one  that  died  like  himself;  but  the  sign  is  very  like, 
and  I  will  be  kapeing  it  up,  while  the  blacksmith  can  make 
a  hook  for  it  to  swing  on,  for  all  the  '  coffee-houses '  betwans 
this  and  Albany." 

There  is  no  saying  where  this  desultory  conversation 
would  have  led  the  worthy  couple,  had  not  the  men,  who 
were  stamping  the  snow  off  their  feet,  on  the  little  platform 
before  the  door,  suddenly  ceased  their  occupation,  and  en 
tered  the  bar-room. 

For  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  the  different  individuals,  who 
intended  either  to  bestow  or  receive  edification,  before  the 
fires  of  the  "  Bold  Dragoon,"  on  that  evening,  were  collect 
ing,  until  the  benches  were  nearly  filled  with  men  of  differ 
ent  occupations.  Dr.  Todd  a-nd  a  slovenly-looking,  shabby- 
genteel  young  man,  who  took  tobacco  profusely,  wore  a 
coat  of  imported  cloth,  cut  with  something  like  a  fashion 
able  air,  frequently  exhibited  a  large  French  silver  watch, 
with  a  chain  of  woven  hair  and  a  silver  key,  and  who,  alto 
gether,  seemed  as  much  above  the  artisans  around  him  as 
he  was  himself  inferior  to  the  real  gentleman,  occupied  a 
high-back  wooden  settee,  in  the  most  comfortable  corner  in 
the  apartment.  . 

Sundry  brown  mugs,  containing  cider  or  beer,  were 
placed  between  the  heavy  andirons,  and  little  groups  were 
formed  among  the  guests,  as  subjects  arose,  or  the  liquor 
was  passed  from  one  to  the  other.  No  man  was  seen 
*o  drink  by  himself,  nor  in  any  instance  was  more  than  one 
vessel  considered  necessary  for  the  same  beverage ;  but  the 
glass,  or  the  mug,  was  passed  from  hand  to  hand,  until  the 
chasm  in  the  line,  or  a  regard  to  the  rights  of  ownership, 
would  regularly  restore  the  dregs  of  the  potation  to  him 
who  defrayed  the  cost. 

Toasts  were  uniformly  drunk ;    and,  occasionally,  some 


THE   PIONEERS.  147 

one,  who  conceived  himself  peculiarly  endowed  by  nature 
to  shine  in  the  way  of  wit,  would  attempt  some  such  senti 
ment  as  "  hoping  that  he  "  who  treated,  "  might  make  a 
better  man  than  his  father ; "  or,  "  live  fill  all  his  friends 
wished  him  dead ; "  while  the  more  humble  pot-companion 
contented  himself  by  saying,  with  a  most  imposing  gravity 
in  his  air,  "  Come,  here's  luck,"  or  by  expressing  some  other 
equally  comprehensive  desire.  In  every  instance,  the  vet 
eran  landlord  was  requested  to  imitate  the  custom  of  the 
cupbearers  to  kings,  and  taste  the  liquor  he  presented,  by 
the  invitation  of  "  After  you  is  manners,"  with  which  request 
he  ordinarily  complied,  by  wetting  his  lips,  first  expressing 
the  wish  of  "  Here's  hoping,"  leaving  it  to  the  imagination 
of  the  hearers  to  fill  the  vacuum  by  whatever  good  each 
thought  most  desirable.  During  these  movements,  the  land 
lady  was  busily  occupied  with  mixing  the  various  compounds 
required  by  her  customers,  with  her  own  hands,  and  occa 
sionally  exchanging  greetings  and  inquiries  concerning  the 
conditions  of  their  respective  families,  with  such  of  the  vil 
lagers  as  approached  the  bar. 

At  length  the  common  thirst  being  in  some  measure  as 
suaged,  conversation  of  a  more  general  nature  became  the 
order  of  the  hour.  The  physician,  and  his  companion,  who 
was  one  of  the  two  lawyers  of  the  village,  being  considered 
the  best  qualified  to  maintain  a  public  discourse  with  credit, 
were  the  principal  speakers,  though  a  remark  was  hazarded, 
now  and  then,  by  Mr.  Doolittle,  who  was  thought  to  be 
their  inferior  only  in  the  enviable  point  of  education.  A 
general  silence  was  produced  on  all  but  the  two  speakers, 
by  the  following  observation  from  the  practitioner  of  the 
law :  — 

u  So,  Dr.  Todd,  I  understand  that  you  have  been  perform 
ing  an  important  operation,  this  evening,  by  cutting  a 
charge  of  buck-shot  from  the  shoulder  of  the  son  of 
Leather-Stocking  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  returned  the  other,  elevating  his  little  head 
with  an  air  of  importance.  "  I  had  a  small  job  up  at  the 
Judge's  in  that  way ;  it  was,  however,  but  a  trifle  to  what 
it  might  have  been,  had  it  gone  through  the  body.  Thi 


148  THE   PIONEERS. 

shoulder  is  not  a  very  vital  part ;  and  I  think  the  young 
man  will  soon  be  well.  j  But  I  did  not  know  that  the  pa 
tient  was  a  son  of  Leather-Stocking :  it  is  news  to  me  to 
hear  that  Natty  had  a  wife." 

"  It  is  by  no  means  a  necessary  consequence/  returned 
the  other,  winking,  with  a  shrewd  look  around  the  bar 
room  ;  "  there  is  such  a  thing,  I  suppose  you  know,  in  law, 
as  a  '  films  nullius.'  " 

"  Spake  it  out,  man,"  exclaimed  the  landlady ;  "  spake  it 
out  in  king's  English  ;  what  for  should  ye  be  talking  Indian 
in  a  room  full  of  Christian  folks,  though  it  is  about  a  poor 
hunter,  who  is  but  a  little  better  in  his  ways  than  the  wild 
savages  themselves  ?  Och !  it's  to  be  hoped  that  the  mis 
sionaries  will,  in  his  own  time,  make  a  convarsion  of  the 
poor  divils ;  and  then  it  will  matter  little  of  what  color  is 
the  skin,  or  wedder  there  be  wool  or  hair  on  the  head." 

"  O !  it  is  Latin,  not  Indian,  Miss  Hollister,"  returned 
the  lawyer,  repeating  his  winks  and  shrewd  looks ;  "  and 
Dr.  Todd  understands  Latin,  or  how  would  he  read  the 
labels  on  his  gallipots  and  drawers  ?  No,  no,  Miss  Hollis 
ter,  the  Doctor  understands  me  ;  don't  you,  Doctor  ?  " 

"  Hem  —  why,  I  guess  I  am  not  far  out  of  the  way," 
returned  Elnathan,  endeavoring  to  imitate  the  expression 
of  the  other's  countenance,  by*ooking  jocular.  "  Latin  is 
a  queer  language,  gentlemen ;  now  I  rather  guess  there  is 
no  one  in  the  room  except  Squire  Lippet,  who  can  believe 
that  *  Far.  Av.'  means  oatmeal,  in  English." 

The  lawyer  in  his  turn  was  a  good  deal  embarrassed  by 
ihis  display  of  learning ;  for,  although  he  actually  had 
taken  his  first  degree  at  one  of  the  eastern  universities,  he 
'vas  somewhat  puzzled  with  the  terms  used  by  his  compan 
ion.  It  was  dangerous,  however,  to  appear  to  be  outdone 
in  learning  in  a  public  bar-room,  and  before  so  many  of  his 
clients ;  he  therefore  put  the  best  face  on  the  matter,  and 
laughed  knowingly,  as  if  there  were  a  good  joke  concealed 
under  it,  that  was  understood  only  by  the  physician  and 
himself.  All  this  was  attentively  observed  by  \the  listeners, 
who  exchanged  looks  of  approbation  :  and  the  expression? 
of  "tonguey  man,"  and  "I  guess  Squire  Lippet  knows,}'/ 


THE  PIONEERS.  149 

anybody  doos,"  were  heard  in  different  parts  of  the  room, 
as  vouchers  for  the  admiration  of  his  auditors.  Thus  en 
couraged,  the  lawyer  rose  from  his  chair,  and  turning  his 
back  to  the  fire,  and  facing  the  company,  he  continued,  — 

"  The  son  of  Natty,  or  the  son  of  nobody,  I  hope  the 
young  man  is  not  going  to  let  the  matter  drop.  This  is  a 
country  of  laws ;  and  I  should  like  to  see  it  fairly  tried, 
whether  a  man  who  owns,  or  says  he  owns,  a  hundred  thou 
sand  acres  of  land,  has  any  more  right  to  shoot  a  body  than 
another.  What  do  you  think  of  it,  Dr.  Todd  ?  " 

"  O  !  sir,  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  gentleman  will  soon 
be  well,  as  I  said  before ;  the  wound  isn't  in  a  vital  part ; 
and  as  the  ball  was  extracted  so  soon,  and  the  shoulder 
was  what  I  call  well  attended  to,  I  do  not  think  there  is  as 
much  danger  as  there  might  have  been." 

"  I  say,  Squire  Doolittle,"  continued  the  attorney,  raising 
his  voice,  "  you  are  a  magistrate,  and  know  what  is  law, 
and  what  is  not  law.1  I  ask  you,  sir,  if  shooting  a  man  is  a 
thing  that  is  to  be  settled  so  very  easily?  Suppose,  sir, 
that  the  young  man  had  a  wife  and  family  ;  and  suppose 
that  he  was  a  mechanic  like  yourself,  sir ;  and  suppose  that 
his  family  depended  on  him  for  bread  ;  and  suppose  that  the 
ball,  instead  of  merely  going  through  the  flesh,  had  broken 
the  shoulder-blade,  and  crippled  him  forever ;  I  ask  you  all, 
gentlemen,  supposing  this  to  be  the  case,  whether  a  jury 
wouldn't  give  what  I  call  handsome  damages  ?  " 

As  the  close  of  this  supposititious  case  was  addressed  to 
the  company  generally,  Hiram  did  not,  at  first,  consider 
himself  called  on  for  a  reply ;  but  finding  the  eyes  of  the 
listeners  bent  on  him  in  expectation,  he  remembered  his 
character  for  judicial  discrimination,  and  spoke,  observing  a 
due  degree  of  deliberation  and  dignity. 

"  Why,  if  a  man  should  shoot  another,"  he  said,  "  and  if 
he  should  do  it  on  purpose,  and  if  the  law  took  notice  on't, 
and  if  a  jury  should  find  him  guilty,  it  would  be  likely  to 
turn  out  a  State-prison  matter." 

"  It  would  so,   sir,"  returned  the  attorney.     "  The  law 

^gentlemen,  is  no  respecter  of  persons  in  a  free  country.     It 

U  one  of  the  great  blessings  that  has  been  handed  down  U 

i  See  Appendix,  Note  G. 


150  THE   PIONEERS. 

ns  from  our  ancestors,  that  all  men  are  equal  in  the  eye  of 
the  law  as  they  are  by  natur*.  Though  some  may  get  prop 
erty,  no  one  knows  how,  yet  they  are  not  privileged  to 
transgress  the  laws  any  more  than  the  poorest  citizen  in  the 
State.  This  is  my  notion,  gentlemen;  and  I  think  that  if 
a  man  had  a  mind  to  bring  this  matter  up,  something  might 
be  made  out  of  it  that  would  help  pay  for  the  salve  —  ha ! 
Doctor?" 

"  Why,  sir,"  returned  the  physician,  who  appeared  a  little 
uneasy  at  the  turn  the  conversation  was  taking,  "  I  have 
the  promise  of  Judge  Temple  before  men  —  not  but  what  I 
would  take  his  word  as  soon  as  his  note  of  hand — but  it 
was  before  men.  Let  me  see  —  there  was  Mounshier  Lei 
Quow,  and  Squire  Jones,  and  Major  Hartmann,  and  Miss 
Pettibone,  and  one  or  two  of  the  blacks  by,  when  he  said 
that  his  pocket  would  amply  reward  me  for  what  I  did." 

"  Was  the  promise  made  before  or  after  the  service  was 
performed  ?  "  asked  the  attorney. 

"  It  might  have  been  both,"  returned  the  discreet  phy 
sician  ;  "  though  I'm  certain  he  said  so  before  I  undertook 
the  dressing." 

"  But  it  seems  that  he  said  his  pocket  should  reward  you, 
Doctor,"  observed  Hiram.  "  Now,  I  don't  know  that  the 
law  will  hold  a  man  to  such  a  promise ;  he  might  give  you 
his  pocket  with  sixpence  in't,  and  tell  you  to  take  your  pay 
out  on't." 

"  That  would  not  be  a  reward  in  the  eye  of  the  law," 
interrupted  the  attorney,  "  not  what  is  called  a  *  quid  pit) 
quo ; '  nor  is  the  pocket  to  be  considered  as  an  agent,  but 
as  part  of  a  man's  own  person,  that  is,  in  this  particular. 
I  am  of  opinion  that  an  action  would  lie  on  that  promise, 
and  I  will  undertake  to  bear  him  out,  free  of  costs,  if  he 
don't  recover." 

To  this  proposition  the  physician  made  no  reply ;  but  he 
was  observed  to  cast  his  eyes  around  him,  as  if  to  enumerate 
the  witnesses,  in  order  to  substantiate  this  promise  also,  at 
a  future  day,  should  it  prove  necessary.  A  subject  so 
momentous  as  that  of  suing  Judge  Temple  was  not  very, 
palatable  to  the  present  company  in  so  public  a  place  ;  and 


THE  PIONEERS.  151 

A   short  silence  ensued,  that  was  only  interrupted  by   the 
opening  of  the  door,  and  the  entrance  of  Natty  himself. 

The  old  hunter  carried  in  his  hand  his  never-failing  com 
panion,  the  rifle;  and  although  all  the  company  were  un 
covered  excepting  the  lawyer,  ^yho  wore  his  hat  on  one 
jside,  with  a  certain  dam'me  air,  Natty  moved  to  the  front 
of  one  of  the  fires,  without  in  the  least  altering  any  part  of 
his  dress  or  appearance.  Several  questions  were  addressed 
to  him,  on  the  subject  of  the  game  he  had  killed,  which  he 
answered  readily,  and  with  some  little  interest ;  and  the 
landlord,  between  whom  and  Natty  there  existed  much 
cordiality,  on  account  of  their  both  having  been  soldiers  in 
youth,  offered  him  a  glass  of  a  liquid,  which,  if  we  might 
judge  from  its  reception,  was  no  unwelcome  guest.  When 
the  forester  had  got  his  potation  also,  he  quietly  took  his 
seat  on  the  end  of  one  of  the  logs  that  lay  nigh  the  fires, 
and  the  slight  interruption  produced  by  his  entrance  seemed 
to  be  forgotten. 

"  The  testimony  of  the  blacks  could  not  be  taken,  sir/' 
continued  the  lawyer,  "  for  they  are  all  the  property  of  Mr. 
Jones,  who  owns  their  time.  But  there  is  a  way  by  which 
Judge  Temple,  or  any  other  man,  might  be  made  to  pay 
for  shooting  another,  and  for  the  cure  in  the  bargain.  There 
is  a  way,  I  say,  and  that  without  going  into  the  '  court  of 
errors,'  too." 

"  And  a  mighty  big  error  ye  wouM  make  of  it,  Mister 
Todd,"  cried  the  landlady,  "  should  ye  be  putting  the  matter 
into  the  law  at  all,  with  Jooge  Temple,  who  has  a  purse  as 
long  as  one  of  them  pines  on  the  hill,  and  who  is  an  'asy 
man  to  dale  wid,  if  yees  but  mind  the  humor  of  him.  He's 
a  good  man,  is  Jooge  Temple,  and  a  kind  one,  and  one 
who  will  be  no  the  likelier  to  do  the  pratty  thing,  bec'ase 
ye  would  wish  to  tarrify  him  wid  the  law.  I  knjaiw  of  but 
one  objaction  to  the  same,  which  is  an  over /Carelessness 
about  his  sowl.  It's  neither  a  Methodic,  nc>^a  Papish,  noit_ 
Prasbetyrian,  that  he  is,  but  just  nothing  at  all ;  and  it's 
hard  to  think  that  he, l  who  will  not  fight  the  good  fight, 
under  the  banners  of  a  rig'lar  Church,  in  this  world,  will  be 
mustered  among  the  chosen  in  heaven/  as  ray  husband,  ih« 


152  THE   PIONEERS. 

Captain  there,  as  ye  call  him,  says  —  though  there  is  but 
one  captain  that  I  know,  who  desaarves  the  name.  I  hopes, 
L'ather-Stocking,  yell  no  be  foolish,  and  putting  the  boy  up 
to  try  the  law  in  the  matter ;  for  'twill  be  an  evil  day  to  ye 
both,  when  ye  first  turn  the  skin  of  so  p'aceable  an  animal 
as  a  sheep  into  a  bone  of  contention.  The  lad  is  wilcome 
to  his  drink  for  nothing,  until  his  shoulther  will  bear  the 
rifle  ag'in." 

"  Well,  that's  gin'rous,"  was  heard  from  several  mouths 
at  once,  for  this  was  a  company  in  which  a  liberal  offer  was 
not  thrown  away  ;  while  the  hunter,  instead  of  expressing 
any  of  that  indignation  which  he. might  be  supposed  to  feel, 
at  hearing  the  hurt  of  his  young  companion  alluded  to, 
opened  his  mouth,  with  the  silent  laugh  for  which  he  was 
so  remarkable ;  and,  after  he  had  indulged  his  humor,  made 
this  reply :  — 

"  I  knowed  the  Judge  would  do  nothing  with  his  smooth- 
bore  when  he  got  out  of  his  sleigh.  I  never  saw  but  one 
smooth-bore  that  would  carry  at  all,  and  that  was  a  French 
ducking-piece,  upon  the  big  lake's :  it  had  a  barrel  half  as 
long  ag'in  as  my  rifle,  and  would  throw  fine  shot  into  a 
goose,  at  a  hundred  yards ;  but  it  made  dreadful  work  with 
the  game,  and  you  wanted  a  boat  to  carry  it  about  in. 
When. I  went  with  Sir  William  agin  the  French,  at  Fort 
Niagara,  all  the  rangers  used  the  rifle;  and  a  dreadful 
weapon  it  is,  in  the  ^nds  of  one  who  knows  how  to  charge 
it,  and  keep  a  steady  aim.  The  Captain  knows,  for  he  says 
he  was  a  soldier  in  Shirley's ;  and  though  they  were  noth* 
ing  but  baggonet-men,  he  must  know  how  we  cut  up  the 
French  and  Iroquois  in  the  skrimmages  in  that  war.  Chin- 
gachgook,  which  means  '  Big  Sarpent '  in  English,  old 
John  Mohegan,  who  lives  up  at  the  hut  with  me,  was  a 
great  warrior  then,  and  was  out  with  us ;  he  can  tell  all 
about  it,  too  ;  though  he  was  an  overhand  for  the  tomahawk, 
never  firing  more  than  once  or  twice,  before  he  was  run 
ning  in  for  the  scalps.  Ah !  times  is  dreadfully  altered 
since  then.  Why,  Doctor,  there  was  nothing  but  a  foot 
path,  or  at  the  most  a  track  for  pack-horses,  along  the 
Mohawk,  from  the  Garman  Flats  up  to  the  forts.  Now 


THE   PIONEERS.  153 

they  say,  they  talk  of  running  one  of  them  wide  roads  with 
gates  on  it  along  the  river ;  first  making  a  road,  and  theD 
fencing  it  up  !  I  hunted  one  season  back  of  the  Kaatskills, 
nigh-hand  to  the  settlements,  and  the  dogs  often  lost  the 
scent,  when  they  came  to  them  highways,  there  was  so 
much  travel  on  them ;  though  I  can't  say  that  the  brutes 
was  of  a  very  good  breed.  Old  Hector  will  wind  a  deer  in 
the  fall  of  the  year,  across  the  broadest  place  in  the  Otsego, 
and  that  is  a  mile  and  a  half,  for  I  paced  it  myself  on  the  ice 
when  the  track  was  first  surveyed,  under  the  Indian  grant." 

"  It  sames  to  me,  Natty,  but  a  sorry  compliment,  to  call 
your  comrad  after  the  Evil  One,"  said  the  landlady  ;  "  and 
it's  no  much  like  a  snake  that  old  John  is  looking  now. 
Nimrod  would  be  a  more  besameing  name  for  the  lad,  and 
a  more  Christian,  too,  seeing  that  it  comes  from  the  Bible. 
The  sargeant  read  me  the  chapter  about  him,  the  night 
before  my  christening,  and  a  mighty  'asement  it  was,  to 
listen  to  anything  from  the  Book." 

"  Old  John  and  Chingachgook  were  very  different  men 
to  look  on,"  returned  the  hunter,  shaking  his  head  at  his 
melancholy  recollections.  "  In  the  *  fifty-eight  war '  he 
was  in  the  middle  of  manhood,  and  taller  than  now  by 
three  inches.  If  you  had  seen  him,  as  I  did,  the  morning 
we  beat  Dieskau,  from  behind  our  log  walls,  you  would 
have  called  him  as  comely  a  red-skin  as  ye  ever  set  eyes 
on.  He  was  naked  all  to  his  breech-cloth  and  leggings ; 
and  you  never  seed  a  creatur'  so  handsomely  painted.  One 
side  of  his  face  was  red,  and  the  other  black.  His  head 
was  shaved  clean,  all  to  a  few  hairs  on  the  crown,  where  he 
wore  a  tuft  of  eagle's  feathers,  as  bright  as  if  they  had  come 
from  a  peacock's  tail.  He  had  colored  his  sides  so  that 
they  looked  like  an  atomy,  ribs  and  all ;  for  Chingachgook 
had  a  great  taste  in  such  things  ;  so  that,  what  with  hia 
bold,  fiery  countenance,  his  knife,  and  his  tomahawk,  I  have 
never  seen  a  fiercer  warrior  on  the  ground.  He  played  his 
part,  too,  like  a  man ;  for  I  saw  him  next  day,  with  thirteen 
scalps  on  his  pole.  And  I  will  say  this  for  the  'Big 
Snake,'  that  he  always  dealt  fair,  and  never  scalped  any 
that  be  didn't  kill  with  his  own  hands." 


154  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  Well,  well,"  cried  the  landlady ;  **  fighting  is  fighting, 
anyway,  and  there  is  different  fashions  in  the  thing  ;  though 
I  can't  say  that  I  relish,  mangling  a  body  after  the  breath  is 
out  of  it ;  neither  do  I  think  it  can  be  upiiild  by  doctrine. 
I  hope,  sargeant,  ye  niver  was  helping  in  sich  evil  worrek." 

"  It  was  my  duty  to  keep  my  ranks,  and  to  stand  or  falls 
by  the  baggonet  or  lead,"  returned  the  veteran.  "  I  was 
then  in  the  fort,  and  seldom  leaving  my  place,  saw  but 
little  of  the  savages,  who  kept  on  the  Hanks  or  in  front, 
skrimmaging.  I  remember,  howsomever,  to  have  heard 
mention  made  of  the  Great  Snake,  as  he  was  called,  for  he 
was  a  chief  of  renown ;  bu£  little  did  I  ever  expect  to  see 
him  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  Christianity,  and  civilized  like 
old  John." 

"  O  !  he  was  Christianized  by  the  Moravians,  who  were 
always  over  intimate  with  the  Delawares,"  said  Leather- 
Stocking.  "It's  my  opinion  that,  had  they  been  left  to 
themselves,  there  would  be  no  such  doings  now,  about  the 
head  waters  of  the  two  rivers,  and  that  these  hills  mought 
have  been  kept  as  good  hunting-ground  by  their  rjght 
owner,  who  is  not  too  old  to  carry  a  rifle,  and  whose  sight  is 
as  true  as  a  fish-hawk  hovering  "  — 

He  was  interrupted  by  more  stamping  at  the  door,  and 
presently  the  party  from  the  Mansion-house  entered,  fot 
lowed  by  the  Indian  himself. 


THE  PIONEERS.  166 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

There's  quart-pot,  pint-pot,  half-pint, 
Gill-pot,  half-gill,  nipperkin, 

And  the  brown  bowl  — 
Here's  a  health  to  the  barley  mow, 

My  brave  boys, 
Here's  a  health  to  the  barley  mow. 

DRINKING  SOJCG. 

SOME  little  commotion  was  produced  by  the  appearance 
of  the  new  guests,  during  which  the  lawyer  slunk  from  the 
room.  Most  of  the  men  approached  Marmaduke,  and 
shook  his  offered  hand,  hoping  "  that  the  Judge  was  well ; " 
while  Major  Hartmann,  having  laid  aside  his  hat  and  wig, 
and  substituted  for  the  latter  a  warm,  peaked  woolen  night 
cap,  took  his  seat  very  quietly  on  one  end  of  the  settee, 
which  was  relinquished  by  its  former  occupants.  His 
tobacco-box  was  next  produced,  and  a  clean  pipe  was 
handed  him  by  the  landlord.  When  he  had  succeeded  in 
raising  a  smoke,  the  Major  gave  a  long  whiff,  and  turning 
his  head  towards  the  bar,  he  said,  — 

"  Petty,  pring  in  ter  toddy." 

In  the  .mean  time  the  Judge  had  exchanged  his  saluta 
tions  with  most  of  the  company,  and  taken  a  place  by  tho 
side  of  the  Major,  and  Richard  had  bustled  himself  into  the 
most  comfortable  seat  in  the  room.  Mr.  Le  Quoi  was  the 
last  seated,  nor  did  he  venture  to  place  his  chair  finally,  until 
by  frequent  removals,  he  had  ascertained  that  he  could  not 
possibly  intercept  a  ray  of  heat  from  any  individual  present. 
Mohegan  found  a  place  on  an  end  of  one  of  the  benches, 
and  somewhat  approximated  to  the  bar.  When  these 
movements  had  subsided,  the  Judge  remarked  pleasantly,  — 

"  Well,  Betty,  I  find  you  retain  your  popularity  through 
all  weathers,  against  all  rivals,  and  among  all  religbng. 
How  liked  you  the  sermon  ?  " 


150  THE  PIONEERS. 

"Is  it  thesarmon?"  exclaimed  the  landlady.  "I  can't 
say  but  it  was  r'asonable ;  but  the  prayers  is  mighty  un'asy 
It's  no  small  matter  for  a  body  in  their  fifty-nint'  year,  to 
be  moving  so  much  in  church.  Mr.  Grant  sames  a  godly 
man  any  way,  and  his  garrel  is  a  hoomble  one,  and  a  de 
vout.  Here,  John,  is  a  mug  of  cider,  laced  with  whiskey. 
An  Indian  will  drink  cider,  though  he  niver  be  athirst." 

"I  must  say,"  observed  Hiram,  with  due  deliberation, 
u  that  it  was  a  tonguey  thing ;  and  I  rather  guess  that  it 
gave  considerable  satisfaction.  There  was  one  part,  though, 
which  might  have  been  left  out,  or  something  else  put  in  ; 
but  then  I  s'pose  that,  as  it  was  a  written  discourse,  it  is 
not  so  easily  altered  as  where  a  minister  preaches  without 
notes." 

"  Aye,  there's  the  rub,  Jooge,"  cried  the  landlady 
"  How  can  a  man  stand  up  and  be  pr'aching  his  word,  when 
all  that  he  is  saying  is  written  down,  and  he  is  as  much  tied 
to  it  as  iver  a  thaving  dragoon  was  to  the  pickets  ?  " 

"Well,  well,"  cried  Marmaduke,  waving  his  hand  for 
silence,  "  there  is  enough  said ;  as  Mr.  Grant  told  us,  there 
are  different  sentiments  on  such  subjects,  and  in  my  opinion 
he  spoke  most  sensibly.  So,  Jotham,  I  am  told  you  have 
sold  your  betterments  to  a  new  settler,  and  have  moved 
into  the  village  and  opened  a  school.  "Was  it  cash  or 
dicker?" 

The  man  who  was  thus  addressed  occupied  a  seat  imme 
diately  behind  Marmaduke ;  and  one  who  was  ignorant  of 
the  extent  of  the  Judge's  observation,  might  have  thought 
he  would  have  escaped  notice.  He  was  of  a  thin,  shapeless 
figure,  with  a  discontented  expression  of  countenance,  and 
with  something  extremely  shiftless  in  his  whole  air.  Thus 
spoken  to,  after  turning  and  twisting  a  little,  by  way  of 
preparation,  he  made  a  reply. 

"  Why,  part  cash,  and  part  dicker.  I  sold  out  to  a 
Pumfret  man  who  was  so'thin  forehanded.  He  was  to  give 
me  ten  dollars  an  acre  for  the  clearin',  and  one  dollar  an 
acre  over  the  first  cost,  on  the  woodland ;  and  we  agreed 
to  leave  the  buildin's  to  men.  So  I  tuck  Asa  Montagu, 
and  he  tuck  Absalom  Bement,  and  they  two  tuck  old  Squire 


THE   PIONEERS.  157 

Napthali  Green.  And  so  they  had  a  meetin',  and  made 
out  a  vardict  of  eighty  dollars  for  the  buildin's.  There  was 
twelve  acres  of  clearing  at  ten  dollars,  and  eighty-eight  at 
one,  and  the  hull  came  to  two  hundred  and  ejghty-six 
dollars  and  a  half,  after  paying  the  men." 

"  Hum,"  said  Marmaduke :  "  what  did  you  give  for  tfao 
place?" 

"  Why,  besides  what's  comin'  to  the  Judge,  I  gi'n  my 
brother  Tim  a  hundred  dollars  for  his  bargain  ;  but  thea 
there's  a  new  house  on't,  that  cost  me  sixty  more,  and  I 
paid  Moses  a  hundred  dollars,  for  choppin',  and  loggin',  and 
sowin' ;  so  that  the  hull  stood  me  in  about  two  hundred 
and  sixty  dollars.  But  then  I  had  a  great  crop  off  on't,  and 
as  I  got  twenty-six  dollars  and  a  half  more  than  it  cost,  I 
conclude  I  made  a  pretty  good  trade  on't." 

"  Yes,  but  you  forgot  that  the  crop  was  yours  without  the 
irade,  and  you  have  turned  yourself  out  of  doors  for  twenty^ 
six  dollars." 

"  O !  the  Judge  is  clean  out,"  said  the  man,  with  a  look 
of  sagacious  calculation  ;  "  he  turned  out  a  span  of  horses, 
that  is  wuth  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  of  any  man's  money, 
with  a  bran  new  wagon  ;  fifty  dollars  in  cash ;  and  a  good 
note  for  eighty  more ;  and  a  side-saddle  that  was  valued  at 
seven  and  a  half — so  there  was  jist  twelve  shillings  betwixt 
us.  I  wanted  him  to  turn  out  a  set  of  harness,  and  take  the 
cow  and  the  sap-troughs.  He  wouldn't  —  but  I  saw  through 
it ;  he  thought  I  should  have  to  buy  the  tacklin'  afore  I 
could  use  the  wagon  and  horses  ;  but  I  knowed  a  thing  or 
two  myself ;  I  should  like  to  know  of  what  use  is  the  tack 
lin'  to  him !  I  offered  him  to  trade  back  ag'in,  for  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty-five.  But  my  woman  said  she  wanted  a  churn, 
tu>  I  tuck  a  churn  for  the  change." 

"And  what  do  you  mean  to  do  with  your  time  this  win 
ter  ?  you  must  remember  that  time  is  money." 

"  Why,  as  the  master  is  gone  down  country,  to  see  his 
mother,  who,  they  say,  is  going  to  make  a  die  on't,  I  agreed 
to  take  the  school  in  hand  till  he  comes  back.  If  times 
doosn't  get  worse  in  the  spring,  I've  some  notion  of  going 
into  trade,  or  maybe  I  may  move  off  to  the  Genesee ;  they 


158  THE  PIONEERS. 

§ay  they  are  carryin*  on  a  great  stroke  of  business  that- 
away.  If  the  wust  oomes  to  the  wust,  I  can  but  work  at  my 
trade,  for  I  was  brought  u-p  in  a  shoe  manufactory." 

It  would  seem  that  Marmaduke  did  not  thunk  his  society 
of  sufficient  value  to  attempt  inducing  him  to  remain  where 
he  was  ;  for  he.  addressed  no  further  discourse  to  the  man, 
but  turned  his  attention  to  other  subjects.  After  a  short 
pause,  Hiram  ventured  a  question  :  — 

"  What  news  does  the  Judge  bring  us  from  the  legislature  ? 
it's  not  likely  that  Congress  has  done  much  this  session :  or 
maybe  the  French  haven't  fit  any  more  battles  lately  ?  " 

"  The  French,  since  they  have  beheaded  their  king,  have 
done  nothing  but  fight,"  returned  the  Judge.  "  The  charac 
ter  of  the  nation  seems  changed.  I  knew  many  French 
gentlemen,  during  our  war,  and  they  all  appeared  to  me  to 
be  men  of  great  humanity  and  goodness  of  heart ;  but  these 
Jacobins  are  as  bloodthirsty  as  bull-dogs." 

"  There  was  one  Roshambow  wid  us,  down  at  Yorek 
town,"  cried  the  landlady ;  "  a  mighty  pratty  man  he  was, 
too  ;  and  their  horse  was  the  very  same.  It  was  there  that 
the  sargeant  got  the  hurt  in  the  leg,  from  the  English  batter 
ies,  bad  luck  to  'em." 

"  Ah  !  mon  pauvre  roi ! "  murmured  Monsieur  Le  Quoi 

"  The  legislature  have  been  passing  laws,"  continued 
Marmaduke,  "  that  the  country  much  required.  Among 
others,  there  is  an  act  prohibiting  the  drawing  of  seines,  at 
any  other  than  proper  seasons,  in  certain  of  our  streams  and 
small  lakes  ;  and  another,  to  prohibit  the  killing  of  deer  in  » 
the  teeming  months.  These  are  laws  that  were  loudly 
called  for,  by  judicious  men  ;  nor  do  I  despair  of  getting  an 
act  to  make  the  unlawful  felling  of  timber  a  criminal  offense.** 

The  hunter  listened  to  this  detail  with  breathless  atten 
tion,  and  when  the  Judge  had  ended,  he  laughed  in  open 
derision. 

"  You  may  make  your  laws,  Judge,"  he  cried,  "  but  who 
will  you  find  to  watch  the  mountains  through  the  long  sum 
mer  days,  or  the  lakes  at  night  ?  Game  is  game,  and  he  who 
finds  may  kill ;  that  has  been  the  law  in  these  mountain! 
for  forty  years,  to  my  sartam  knowledge;  and  I  think  on* 


THE  PIONEERS.  159 

old  law  is  worth  two  new  ones.  None  but  a  green-one 
would  wish  to  kill  a  doe  with  a  fa'an  by  its  side,  unless  his 
moccasins  were  getting  old,  or  his  leggings  ragged,  for  the 
flesh  is  lean  and  coarse.  But  a  rifle  rings  among  the  rocks 
along  the  lake  shore,  sometimes,  as  if  fifty  pieces  were  fired 
at  once  :  it  would  be  hard  to  tell  where  the  man  stood  who 
pulled  the  trigger." 

"  Armed  with  the  dignity  of  the  law,  Mr.  Bumppo,"  re 
turned  the  Judge,  gravely,  "  a  vigilant  magistrate  can  pre 
vent  much  of  the  evil  that  has  hitherto  prevailed,  and  which 
is  already  rendering  the  game  scarce.  I  hope  to  live  to  see 
the  day  when  a  man's  rights  in  his  game  shall  be  as  much 
respected  as  his  title  to  his  farm." 

"  Your  titles  and  your  farms  are  all  new  together,"  cried 
Natty ;  "  but  laws  should  be  equal,  and  not  more  for  one 
than  another.  I  shot  a  deer,  last  Wednesday  was  a  fort 
night,  and  it  floundered  through  the  snow-banks  till  it  got 
over  a  brush  fence ;  I  catched  the  lock  of  my  rifle  in  the 
twigs  in  following,  and  was  kept  back,  until  finally  the  crea- 
tur'  got  off.  Now,  I  want  to  know  who  is  to  pay  me  for 
that  deer  ?  and  a  fine  buck  it  was.  If  there  hadn't  been  a 
fence  I  should  have  gotten  another  shot  into  it ;  and  I  never 
drawed  upon  anything  that  hadn't  wings  three  times  run 
ning,  in  my  born  days.  No,  no,  Judge,  it's  the  farmers  that 
makes  the  game  scarce,  and  not  the  hunters." 

"  Ter  teer  is  not  so  plenty  as  in  ter  old  war,  Pumppo," 
said  the  Major,  who  had  been  an  attentive  listener,  amidst 
clouds  of  smoke ;  "  put  ter  lant  is  not  mate  as  for  ter  teer 
to  live  on,  put  for  Christians." 

"  Why,  Major,  I  believe  you're  a  friend  to  justice  and 
the  right,  though  you  go  so  often  to  the  grand  house  ;  but 
it's  a  hard  case  to  a  man  to  have  his  honest  calling  for  a 
livelihood  stopped  by  laws,  and  that  too  when,  if  right  was 
done,  he  mought  hunt  or  fish  on  any  day  in  the  week,  or  on 
the  best  fiat  in  the  Patent,  if  he  was  so  minded." 

"  I  unterstant  you,  Letter-Stockint,"  returned  the  Major, 
fixing  his  black  eyes,  with  a  look  of  peculiar  meaning,  on 
the  hunger ;  "  put  you  didn't  use  to  be  so  prutent,  as  to  look 
ahet  mit  so  much  care." 


160  THE   PIONEERS. 

"  Maybe  there  wasn't  so  much  occasion,"  said  t'ns  hunter 
a  little  sulkily ;  when  he  sank  into  a  silence  from  which  he 
was  not  roused  for  some  time. 

"The  Judge  was  saying  so'tliin  about  the  French," 
Hiram  observed,  when  the  pause  in  the  conversation  had 
continued  a  decent  time. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  returned  Marmaduke.  "  the  Jacobins  of  France 
seem  rushing  from  one  act  of  licentiousness  to  another. 
They  continue  those  murders  which  are  dignified  by  the 
name  of  executions.  You  have  heard  that  they  have  added 
the  death  of  their  queen  to  the  long  list  of  their  crimes." 

"Les  monstres!"  again  murmured  Monsieur  Le  Quoi, 
turning  himself  suddenly  in  his  chair^.  with  a  convulsive 
start. 

"  The  province  of  La  Vendee  is  laid  waste  by  the  troops 
of  the  republic,  and  hundreds  of  its  inhabitants,  who  are 
royalists  in  their  sentiments,  are  shot  at  a  time.  La  Ven 
dee  is  a  district  in  the  southwest  of  France  that  continues 
yet  much  attached  to  the  family  of  the  Bourbons ;  doubt 
less  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  is  acquainted  with  it,  and  can  de 
scribe  it  more  faithfully." 

"  Non,  non,  non,  mon  cher  ami,"  returned  the  French 
man,  in  a  suppressed  voice,  but  speaking  rapidly,  and  ges 
ticulating  with  his  right  hand,  as  if  for  mercy,  while  with 
his  left  he  concealed  his  eyes. 

"  There  have  been  many  battles  fought  lately,"  contin 
ued  Marmaduke,  "  and  the  infuriated  republicans  are  too 
often  victorious.     I  cannot  say,  however,  that  I  am   sorry   * 
they  have  captured  Toulon  from  the  English,  for  it  is  a 
place  to  which  they  have  a  just  right." 

"Ah  —  ha!"  exclaimed  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  springing  on 
Ms  feet,  and   flourishing   both  arms  with   great   animation 
1  ces  Anglais  !  " 

The  Frenchman  continued  to  move  about  the  room  with 
great  alacrity  for  a  few  minutes,  repeating  his  exclamations 
to  himself;  when,  overcome  by  the  contradictory  nature  of 
his  emotions,  he  suddenly  burst  out  of  the  house,  and  wan 
aeen  wading  through  the  snow  'towards  his  little  shop,  wav 
ing  his  arms  on  high,  as  if  to  pluck  down  honor  frow  tiv» 


THE  PIONEERS  161 

moon.  His  departure  excited  but  little  surprise,  for  the 
villagers  were  used  to  his  manner  ;  but  Major  Hartmann 
laughed  outright,  for  the  first  time  during  his  visit,  as  he 
lifted  the  mug,  and  observed,  — 

"Ter  Frenchman  is  mat — put  he  is  goot  as  for  netting 
to  trink  ;  he  is  trunk  mit  joy." 

"  The  French  are  good  soldiers,"  said  Captain  Hollister ; 
"  they  stood  us  in  hand  a  good  turn,  down  at  Yorktown ; 
nor  do  I  think,  although  I  am  an  ignorant  man  about  the 
great  movements  of  the  army,  that  his  Excellency  would 
have  been  able  to  march  against  Cornwallis,  without  their 
reinforcements." 

"  Ye  spake  the  trut',  sargeant,"  interrupted  his  wife,  "  and 
I  would  iver  have  ye  be  doing  the  same.  It's  varry  pratty 
men  is  the  French  ;  and  jist  when  I  stopt  the  cart,  the  tibie 
when  ye  was  pushing  on  in  front  it  was,  to  kape  the  rig'lers 
in,  a  rigiment  of  the  jontlemen  marched  by,  and  so  I  dealt 
the'm  out  to  their  liking.  Was  it  pay  I  got  ?  sure  did  I, 
and  in  good  solid  crowns :  the  divil  a  bit  of  continental 
could  they  muster  among  them  all,  for  love  nor  money. 
Och !  the  Lord  forgive  me  for  swearing  and  sp'aking  of 
euch  vanities :  but  this  I  will  say  for  the  French,  that  they 
paid  in  good  silver ;  and  one  glass  would  go  a  great  way 
wid  'em,  for  they  gin'rally  handed  it  back  wid  a  drop  in  the 
cup;  and  that's  a  brisk  trade,  Jooge,  where  the  pay  is 
good,  and  the  men  not  over  partic'lar." 

"A  thriving  trade,  Mrs.  Hollister,"  said  JMarmaduke. 
"  But  what  has  become  of  Richard  ?  he  jumped  up  as  soon 
is  seated,  and  has  been  absent  so  long  that  I  am  fearful  he 
las  frozen." 

"  No  fear  of  that,  cousin  'Duke,"  cried  the  gentleman 
himself ;  "  business  will  sometimes  keep  a  man.  warm  the 
coldest  night  that  ever  snapt  in  the  mountains.  Betty, 
your  husband  told  me,  as  we  came  out  of  church,  that  your 
hogs  were  getting  mangy,  SD  I  have  been  out  to  take  a  look 
at  them,  and  found  it  true.  I  stepped  across,  Doctor,  and 
got  your  boy  to  weigh  me  out  a  pound  of  salts,  and  have 
been  mixing  it  with  their  swill.  I'll  bet  a  saddle  of  venison 
against  a  gray  squirrel,  that  they  are  better  in  a  week. 
n 


162  THE  PIONEERS. 

And  now,  Mrs.  Hollister,  I'm  ready  for  a  hissing  mug  of 

ftp-" 

"  Sure  I  knowed  ye'd  be  wanting  that  same,"  said  the 
landlady ;  "  it's  mixt  and  ready  to  the  boiling.  Sargeant 
dear,  be  handing  up  the  iron,  will  ye  ?  —  no,  the  one  in  the 
far  fire,  it's  black,  ye  will  see.  Ah  !  you've  the  thing  no\\  ; 
look  if  it's  not  as  red  as  a  cherry." 

The  beverage  was  heated,  and  Richard  took  that  kind  of 
draught  which  men  are  apt  to  indulge  in,  who  think  that 
they  have  just  executed  a  clever  thing,  especially  when  they 
like  the  liquor. 

"  O !  you  have  a  hand,  Betty,  that  was  formed  to  mix 
flip,"  cried  Richard,  when  he  paused  for  breath.  "  The 
very  iron  has  a  flavor  in  it.  Here,  John,  drink,  man,  drink. 
I  and  you  and  Dr.  Todd  have  done  a  good  thing  with  the 
shoulder  of  that  lad  this  very  night.  'Duke,  I  made  a  song 
while  you  were  gone  —  one  day  when  I  had  nothing  to  do ; 
so  I'll  sing  you  a  verse  or  two,  though  I  haven't  really 
determined  on  the  tune  yet :  — 

What  is  life  but  a  scene  of  care, 

Where  each  one  must  toil  in  his  way? 
Then  let  us  be  jolly,  and  prove  that  we  are 
A  set  of  good  fellows,  who  seem  very  rare, 
And  can  laugh  and  sing  all  the  day. 
.    Then  let  us  be  jolly, 
And  cast  away  folly, 
For  grief  turns  a  black  head  to  gray. 

There,  'Duke,  what  do  you  think  of  that?  There  is 
another  verse  of  it,  all  but  the  last  line.  I  haven't  got  a 
rhyme  for  the  last  line  yet.  Well,  old  John,  what  do  you 
think  of  the  music?  as  good  as  one  of  your  war-songs, 
ha?" 

"Good!-"  said  Mohegan,  who  had  been  sharing  deeply 
m  the  potations  of  the  landlady,  besides  paying  a  proper 
respect  to  the  passing  mugs  of  the  Major  and  Marmaduke. 

"  Pravo !  pravo !  Richart,"  cried  the  Major,  whose  black 
eyes  were  beginning  to  swim  in  moisture  ;  "  prnvissimo !  it 
is  a  goot  song ;  put  Natty  Pumppo  hast  a  petter.  Letter- 
Stockint,  vilt  sing  ?  say,  olt  poy,  vilt  sing  ter  song,  as  apou* 
ter  wooU  ?  " 


THE  PIONEERS.  163 

u  No,  no,  Major,"  returned  the  hunter,  with  a  melancholy 
shake  of  the  head,  "  I  have  lived  to  see  what  I  thought  eyes 
could  never  behold  in  these  hills,  and  I  have  no  heart  left 
for  singing.  If  he,  that  has  a  right  to  be  master  and  ruler 
here,  is  forced  to  squinch  his  thirst,  when  a-dry,  with  mow- 
water,  it  ill  becomes  them  that  have  lived  by  his  bounty  to 
be  making  merry,  as  if  there  was  nothing  in  the  world  but 
sunshine  and  summer." 

When  he  had  spoken, -Leather-Stocking  again  dropped 
his  head  on  his  knees,  and  concealed  his  hard  and  wrinkled 
features  with  his  hands.  The  change  from  the  excessive 
cold  without,  to  the  heat  of  the  bar-room,  coupled  with  the 
depth  and  frequency  of  Richard's  draughts,  had  already 
leveled  whatever  inequality  there  might  have  existed 
between  him  and  the  other  guests,  on  the  score  of  spirits ; 
and  he  now  held  out  a  pair  of  swimming  mugs  of  foaming 
flip  towards  the  hunter,  as  he  cried  — 

"  Merry !  aye !  Merry  Christmas  to  you,  old  boy  !  Sun 
shine  and  summer ! '  no  !  you  are  blind,  Leather-Stocking, 
'tis  moonshine  and  winter ;  take  these  spectacles,  and  open 
your  eyes,  — 

So  let  us  be  jolly, 
And  cast  away  folly, 
For  grief  turns  a  black  head  to  gray. 

"  Hear  how  old  John  turns  his  quavers.  What  damned 
dull  music  an  Indian  song  is,  after  all,  Major !  I  wonder 
if  they  ever  sing  by  note." 

While  Richard  was  singing  and  talking,  Mohegan  was 
uttering  dull,  monotonous  tones,  keeping  time  by  a  gentle 
motion  of  his  head  and  body.  He  made  use  of  but  few 
words,  and  such  as  he  did  utter  were  in  his  native  language, 
and  consequently  only  understood  by  himself  and  Natty. 
Without  heeding  Richard  'he  continued  to  sing  a  kind  of 
wild,  melancholy  air,  that  rose,  at  times,  in  sudden  and  quite 
elevated  notes,  and  then  fell  again  into  the  low,  quavering 
sounds  that  seemed  to  compose  the  character  of  his  music. 

The  attention  of  the  company  was  now  much  divided, 
the  men  in  the  rear  having  formed  themselves  into  littlo 
groups,  where  they  were  discussing  various  matters  :  among 


164  THE  PIONEERS. 

the  principal  of  which  were,  the  treatment  of  mangy  hoga 
and  Parson  Grant's  preaching ;  while  Dr.  Todd  was  en 
deavoring  to  explain  to  Marinaduke  the  nature  of  ihe 
hurt  received  by  the  young  hunter.  Mohegan  continued  to 
sing^while  his  countenance  was  becoming  vacant,  though, 
coupled  with  his  thick  bushy  hair,  it  was  assuming  an  ex 
pression  very  much  like  brutal  ferocity.  His  notes  were 
gradually  growing  louder,  and  soon  rose  to  a  height  that 
caused  a  general  cessation  in  the  discourse.  The  hunter 
now  raised  his  head  again,  and  addressed  the  old  warrior, 
warmly,  in  the  Delaware  language,  which,  for  the  benefit 
of  our  readers,  we  shall  render  freely  into  English. 

"  Why  do  you  sing  of  your  battles,  Chingachgook,  arid 
of  the  warriors  you  have  slain,  when  the  .worst  enemy  of 
all  is  near  you,  and  keeps  the  Young  Eagle  from  his 
rights  ?  I  have  fought  in  as  many  battles  as  any  warrior 
in  your  tribe,  but  cannot  boast  of  my  deeds  at  such  a  time 
as  this." 

"  Hawkeye,"  said  the  Indian,  tottering  with  a  doubtful 
step  from  his  place,  "  I  am  the  Great  Snake  of  the  Dela- 
wares;  I  can  track  the  Mingos  like  an  adder  that  is  steal 
ing  on  the  whip-poor-will's  eggs,  and  strike  them  like  the 
rattlesnake,  dead  at  a  blow.  The  white  man  made  the 
tomahawk  of  Chingachgook  bright  as  the  waters  of  Otsego, 
when  the  last  sun  is  shining ;  but  it  is  red  with  the  blood 
of  the  Maquas." 

"  And  why  have  you  slain  the  Mingo  warriors  ?  Was  it 
not  to  keep  these  hunting-grounds  and  lakes  to  your  father's  \ 
children  ?  and  were  they  not  given  in  solemn  council  to 
the  Fire-eater?  and  does  not  the  blood  of  a  warrior  run  in 
the  veins  of  a  young  chief,  who  should  speak  aloud,  where 
his  voice  is  now  too  low  to  be  heard  ?  " 

The  appeal  of  the  hunter  seemed  in  some  measure  to  re 
call  the  confused  faculties  of  the  Indian,  who  turned  his  face 
towards  the  listeners  and  gazed  ntently  on  the  Judge.  He 
shook  his  head,  throwing  his  hair  back  from  his  countenance, 
mid  exposed  eyes  that  were  glaring  with  an  expression  of 
wild  resentment.  But  the  man  was  not  himself.  His  hand 
seemed  to  make  a  fruitless  effort  to  release  his  tomahawk 


THE  PIONEERS.  165 

Ifhich  was  confined  by  its  handle  to  his  belt,  while  his  eyes 
gradually  became  vacant.  Richard  at  that  instant  thrusting 
a  mug  before  him,  his  features  changed  to  the  grin  of  idiocy, 
and  seizing  the  vessel  with  both  hands,  he  sank  backward  on 
the  bench  and  drank  until  satiated,  when  he  made  an  effort 
to  lay  aside  the  mug  with  the  helplessness  of  total  inebriety. 

"  Shed  not  blood  ! "  exclaimed  the  hunter,  as  he  watched 
the  countenance  of  the  Indian  in  its  moment  of  ferocity  ; 
"  but  he  is  drunk,  and  can  do  no  harm.  This  is  the  way 
with  all  the  savages ;  give  them  liquor,  and  they  make  dogs 
of  themselves.  Well,  well,  the  time  will  come  when  right 
will  be  done  ;  and  we  must  have  patience." 

Natty  still  spoke  in  the  Delaware  language,  and  of  coursf 
was  not  understood.  He  had  hardly  concluded,  before 
Richard  cried,  — 

"  Well,  old  John  is  soon  sewed  up.  Give  him  a  berth, 
Captain,  in  the  barn,  and  I  will  pay  for  it.  I  am  rich  to 
night,  ten  times  richer  than  'Duke,  with  all  his  lands,  and 
military  lots,  and  funded  debts,  and  bonds,  and  mortgages. 

Come,  let  us  be  jolly, 
And  cast  away  folly 
For  grief —  - 

Drink,  King  Hiram  —  drink,  Mr.  Doo-nothing  —  drink,  sir, 
I  say.  This  is  a  Christmas  Eve,  which  comes,  you  know, 
but  once  a  year." 

"  He !  he !  he  !  the  Squire  is  quite  moosical  to-night," 
Baid  Hiram,  whose  visage  began  to  give  marvelous  signs  of 
.•elaxation.  "I  rather  guess  we  shall  make  a  church  on't 
yet,  Squire  ?  " 

"  A  church,  Mr.  Doolittle  !  we  will  make  a  cathedral  of 
\t !  bishops,  priests,  deacons,  wardens,  vestry,  and  choir : 
<  rgan,  organist,  and  bellows  !  By  the  Lord  Harry,  as  Ben 
jamin  says,  we  will  clap  a  steeple  on  the  other  end  of  it, 
and  make  two  churches  of  it.  What  say  you,  'Duke,  will 
you  pay  ?  ha !  my  cousin  Judge,  wilt  pay  ! " 

"Thou  makest  such  a  noise,  Dickon,"  returned  Marma- 
duke,  "  it  is  impossible  that  I  can  hear  what  Dr.  Todd  ia 
Baying,  —  I  think  thou  observedst,  it  is  probable  the  wcnind 
will  fester,  so  as  to  occasion  danger  to  the  limb  in  this  cold 
weather  ?  " 


160  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  Out  of  naturT,  sir,  quite  out  of  natur',"  said  Elnathan,  | 
attempting  to  expectorate,  but  succeeding  only  in  throwing 
a  light,  frothy  substance,  like  a  flake  of  snow,  into  the  fire, 
"  quite  out  of  natur',  that  a  wound  so  well  dressed,  and  with 
the  ball  in  my  pocket,  should  fester.  I  s'pose,  as  the  Judge 
talks  of  taking  the  young  man  into  his  house,  it  will  be  most 
convenient  if  I  make  but  one  charge  on't." 

O 

*•'  I  should  think  one  would  do,"  returned  Marmaduke, 
with  that  arch  smile  that  so  often  beamed  on  his  face ;  leav 
ing  the  beholder  in  doubt  whether  he  most  enjoyed  the 
character  of  his  companion,  or  his  own  covert  humor.  The 
landlord  had  succeeded  in  placing  the  Indian  on  some  straw 
in  one  of  his  outbuildings,  where,  covered  with  his  own 
blanket,  John  continued  for  the  remainder  of  the  night. 

In  the  mean  time,  Major  Hartmann  began  to  grow  noisy 
and  jocular  ;  glass  succeeded  glass,  and  mug  after  mug  was 
introduced,  until  the  carousal  had  run  deep  into  the  night, 
or  rather  morning  ;  when  the  veteran  German  expressed  an 
inclination  to  return  to  the  Mansion-house.  Most  of  the 
party  had  already  retired,  but  Marmaduke  knew  the  habits 
of  his  friend  too  well  to  suggest  an  earlier  adjournment. 
So  soon,  however,  as  the  iproposal  was  made,  the  Judge 
eagerly  availed  himself  of  it,  and  the  trio  prepared  to  de 
part.  Mrs.  Hollister  attended  them  to  the  door  in  person, 
cautioning  her  guests  as  to  the  safest  manner  of  leaving 
her  premises. 

"  Lane  on  Mister  Jones,  Major,"  said  she,  "  he's  young, 
and  will  be  a  support  to  ye.  Well,  it's  a  charming  sight  to' 
see  ye,  any  way,  at  the  Bould  Dragoon ;  and  sure  it's  no 
harm  to  be  kaping  a  Christmas  Eve  wid  a  light  heart,  for 
it's  no  telling  when  we  may  have  sorrow  come  upon  us. 
So  good  night,  Jooge,  and  a  Merry  Christmas  to  ye  all, 
to-morrow  morning." 

The  gentlemen  made  their  adieus  as  well  as  they  could, 
and  taking  the  middle  of  the  road,  which  was  a  fine,  wide, 
.ind  well-beaten  path,  they  did  tolerably  well  until  they 
reached  the  gate  of  the  Mansion-house;  but  on  entering 
he  Judge's  domains,  they  encountered  some  slight  dillicul- 
Jes.  We  shall  not  stop  to  relate  them,  but  will  jns*.  men- 


THE  PIONEERS.  167 

tion  that,  in  the  morning,  sundry  diverging  paths  were  to 
bo  rfeen  in  the  snow ;  and  that  once  during  their  progress 
to  the  door,  Marmaduke,  missing  his  companions,  was  en 
abled  to  trace  them,  by  one  of  these  paths,  to  a  spot  where 
he  discovered  them  with  nothing  visible  but  their  heads  . 
Bichard  singing  in  a  most  vivacious  strain,  — 

Come,  let  us  be  jolly, 
At.d  cast  away  folly, 
Foe  griof  turns  a  black  head  to  gray. 


168  THE  PIONEERS 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Aa  she  lay,  on  that  day,  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  O ! 

PREVIOUSLY  to  the  occurrence  of  the  scene  at  the  "  Bold 
Dragoon,"  Elizabeth  had  been  safely  reconducted  to  the 
Mansion-house,  where  she  was  left  as  its  mistress,  either  to 
ainuse  or  employ  herself  during  the  evening,  as  best  suited 
her  own  inclinations.  Most  of  the  lights  were  extinguished  ; 
but  as  Benjamin  adjusted,  with  great  care  and  regularity, 
four  large  candles,  in  as  many  massive  candlesticks  of  brass, 
in  a  row  on  the  sideboard,  the  hall  possessed  a  peculiar  air 
of  comfort  and  warmth,  contrasted  with  the  cheerless  aspect 
of  the  room  she  had  left  in  the  academy. 

Remarkable  had  been  one  of  the  listeners  to  Mr.  Grant, 
and  returned  with  her  resentment,  which  had  been  not  a 
little  excited  by  the  language  of  the  Judge,  somewhat  soft 
ened  by  reflection  and  the  worship.  She  recollected  the 
youth  of  Elizabeth,  and  thought  it  no  difficult  task,  under 
present  appearances,  to  exercise  that  power  indirectly, 
which  hitherto  she  had  enjoyed  undisputed.  The  idea  of 
being  governed,  or  of  being  compelled  to  pay  the  deference 
of  servitude,  was  absolutely  intolerable  ;  and  she  had  al-  • 
ready  determined  within  herself,  some  half  dozen  times,  to 
make  an  effort,  that  should  at  once  bring  to  an  issue  the 
delicate  point  of  her  domestic  condition.  But  as  often  as 
she  met  the  dark,  proud  eye  of  Elizabeth,  who  was  walk 
ing  up  and  down  the  apartment,  musing  on  the  scenes  of 
her  youth,  and  the  change  in  her  condition,  and  perhaps 
the  events  of  the  day,  the  housekeeper  experienced  an  awe 
that  she  would  riot  own  to  herself  could  be  excited  by  any 
thing  mortal.  It,  however,  checked  her  advances,  and  for 
iome  time  held  her  tongue-tied.  At  length  she  determined 
to  commence  the  discourse,  by  entering  on  a  subject  that 


THE  PIONEERS.  169 

waa  apt  to  level  all  human  distinctions,  aid  in  which  she 
might  display  her  own  abilities. 

"  It  was  quite  a  wordy  sarinoii  that  Parson  Grant  gave 
us  to-night,"  said  Remarkable.  "  The  Church  ministers  be 
"commonly  smart  sarmonizers  ;  but  they  write  down  their 
idees,  which  is  a  great  privilege.  I  don't  think  that  by 
aatur'  they  are  as  tongney  speakers,  for  an  off-hand  dis 
course,  as  the  standing-order  ministers." 

"  And  what  denomination  do  you  distinguish  as  the  stand 
ing-order  ?  "  inquired  Miss  Temple,  with  some  surprise. 

"  Why,  the  Presbyter'ans  and  Congregationals,  and  Bap 
tists,  too,  for't  1  know  ;  and  all  sitch  as  don't  go  on  their 
knees  to  prayer." 

"  By  that  rule,  then,  you  would  call  those  who  belong 
to  the  persuasion  of  my  father,  the  sitting-order,"  observed 
Elizabeth. 

"  I'm  sure  I've  never  heard  'em  spoken  of  by  any  other 
oame  than  Quakers,  so-called,"  returned  Remarkable,  be 
traying  a  slight  uneasiness  :  "  I  should  be  the  last  to  call 
them  otherwise,  for  I  never  in  my  life  used  a  disparaging 
tarm  of  the  Judge,  or  any  of  his  family.  I've  always  set 
store  by  the  Quakers,  they  are  so  pretty-spoken,  clever 
people ;  and  it's  a  wonderment  to  me,  how  your  father 
come  to  marry  into  a  Church  family ;  for  they  are  as  con 
trary  in  religion  as  can  be.  One  sits  still,  and  for  the  most 
part,  says  nothing,  while  the  Church  folks  practyse  all  kinds 
of  ways,  so  that  I  sometimes  think  it  quite  moosical  to  see 
them ;  for  I  went  to  a  Church  meeting  once  before,  down 
country." 

"  You  have  found  an  excellence  in  the  Church  liturgy 
that  has  hitherto  escaped  me.  I  will  thank  you  to  inquire 
whether  the  fire  in  my  room  burns :  I  feel  fat'gued  with 
my  journey,  and  will  retire." 

Remarkable  felt  a  wonderful  inclination  to  tell  the  young 
mistress  of  the  mansion,  that  by  opening  a  door  she  might 
see  for  herself ;  but  prudence  got  the  better  of  resentment, 
and  after  pausing  sc-ne  little  time,  as  a  salvo  to  her  dignity, 
she  did  as  desired.  The  report  was  favorable,  and  the 
young  lady,  wishing  Benjamin,  whc  was  filling  the  stove 


170  THE  PIONEERS. 

with  wood,  and  the  housekeeper,  each  a  good  night,  with* 
drew. 

The  instant  the  door  closed  on  Miss  Temple,  Remark 
able  commenced  a  sort  of  mysterious,  ambiguous  discourse, 
that  was  neither  abusive  nor  commendatory  of  the  qualities 
of  the  absent  personage ;  but  which  seemed  to  be  drawing 
nigh,  by  regular  degrees,  to  a  most  dissatisfied  description. 
The  major-domo  made  no  reply,  but  continued  his  occupa 
tion  with  great  industry,  which  being  happily  completed,  he 
took  a  look  at  the  thermometer,  and  then,  opening  a  drawer 
of  the  sideboard,  he  produced  a  supply  of  stimulants  that 
would  have  served  to  keep  the  warmth  in  his  system,  with 
out  the  aid  of  the  enormous  fire  he  had  been  building.  A 
small  stand  was  drawn  up  near  the  stove,  and  the  bottles 
and  the  glasses  necessary  for  convenience,  were  quietly  ar 
ranged.  Two  chairs  were  placed  by  the  side  of  this  com 
fortable  situation,  when  Benjamin,  for  the  first  time,  appeared 
to  observe  his  companion. 

"  Come,"  he  cried,  "  come.,  Mistress  Remarkable,  bring 
yourself  to  an  anchor  in  this  chair.  It's  a  peeler  without, 
I  can  tell  you,  good  woman  ;  but  what  cares  I  ?  blow  high 
or  blow  low,  d'ye  see,  it's  all  the  same  thing  to  Ben.  The 
liggers  are  snug  stowed  below  before  a  fire  that  would 
roast  an  ox  whole.  The  thermometer  stands  now  at  fifty- 
five,  but  if  there's  any  vartue  in  good  maple  wood,  I'll 
weather  upon  it,  before  one  glass,  as  much  as  ten  points 
more,  so  that  the  Squire,  when  he  comes  home  from  Betty 
Hollister's  warm  room,  will  feel  as  hot  as  a  hand  that  has  . 
given  the  rigging  a  lick  with  bad  tar.  Come,  mistress, 
bring  up  in  this  here  chair,  and  tell  me  how  you  like  our 
new  heiress." 

"  "Why,  to"  my  notion,  Mr.  Penguillum  "  — 

"  Pump,  Pump,"  interrupted  Benjamin  ;  "  it's  Christmas 
Eve,  Mistress  Remarkable,  and  so,  d'ye  see,  you  had  better 
call  me  Pump.  It's  a  shorter  name,  and  as  I  mean  to 
pump  this  here  decanter  till  it  sucks,  why,  you  may  as  well 
call  me  Pump." 

"  Did  you  ever ! "  cried  Remarkable,  with  a  laugh  that 
•oemed  to  unhinge  every  joint  in  her  body.  "  You're  a 


THE  PIONEERS.  171 

unooaical  creatur',  Benjamin,  when  the  notion  takes  you. 
But  as  I  was  saying,  I  rather  guess  that  times  will  be  al 
tered  now  in  this  house." 

"  Altered ! "  exclaimed  the  major-domo,  eying  the  bottle 
that  was  assuming  the  clear  aspect  of  cut  glass  with  aston 
ishing  rapidity ;  "  it  don't  matter  much,  Mistress  Remark 
able,  so  long  as  I  keep  the  keys  of  the  lockers  in  my  pocket" 

"  I  can't  say,"  continued  the  housekeeper,  "  but  there's 
good  eatables  and  drinkables  enough  in  the  house  for  a 
body's  content  —  a  little  more  sugar,  Benjamin,  in  the  glass 
— for  Squire  Jones  is  an  excellent  provider.  But  new 
lords,  new  laws  ;  and  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  you  and  I  had 
an  unsartain  time  on't  in  footer." 

"  Life  is  as  unsartain  as  the  wind  that  blows,"  said  Ben  • 
jamin,  with  a  moralizing  air ;  "  and  nothing  is  more  vari'ble 
than  the  wind,  Mistress  Remarkable,  unless  you  happen  to 
fall  in  with  the  trades,  d'ye  see,  and  then  you  may  run  for 
the  matter  of  a  month  at  a  time,  with  studding-sails  on 
both  sides,  alow  and  aloft,  and  with  the  cabin-boy  at  the 
wheel." 

"  I  know  that  life  is  desp'ut  unsartain,"  said  Remarkable, 
compressing  her  features  to  the  humor  of  her  companion ; 
"  but  I  expect  there  will  be  great  changes  made  in  the  house 
to  rights ;  and  that  you  will  find  a  young  man  put  over 
your  head,  as  there  is  one  that  wants  to  be  over  mine  ;  and 
after  having  been  settled  as  long  as  you  have,  Benjamin,  I 
should  judge  that  to  be  hard." 

"  Promotion  should  go  according  to  length  of  sarvice," 
Baid  the  major-domo ;  "  and  if-so-be  that  they  ship  a  hand 
for  my  berth,  or  place  a  new  steward  aft,  I  shall  throw  up 
my  commission  in  less  time  than  you  can  put  a  pilot-boat  in 
stays.  Tho'f  Squire  Dickens  "  —  this  was  a  common  mis 
nomer  with  Benjamin  —  "is  a  nice  gentleman,  and  as  good 
a  man  to  sail  with  as  heart  could  wish,  yet  I  shall  tell  the 
Squire,  d'ye  see,  in  plain  English,  and  that's  my  native 
tongue,  that  if-so-be  he  is  thinking  of  putting  any  Johnny 
Raw  over  my  head,  why  I  shall  resign.  I  began  forrard, 
Mistress  Prettybones,  and  worked  my  way  aft,  like  a  man. 
I  was  six  months  aboard  a  Garnsey  lugger,  hauling  in  the 


172  THE  PIONEERS. 

slack  of  tlie  lee-sheet,  and  coiling  up  rigging.  From  that  1 
went  a  few  trips  in  a  fore-and-after,  in  the  same  trade, 
which,  after  all,  was  but  a  blind  kind  of  sailing  in  the  dark, 
where  a  man  1'arns  but  little,  excepting  how  to  steer  by  the 
stars.  Well,  then,  d'ye  see,  I  larnt  how  a  topmast  should 
be  slushed,  and  how  a  top-gallant-sail  was  to  be  becketed ; 
and  then  I  did  small  jobs  in  the  cabin,  such  as  mixing  the 
skipper's  grog.  'Twas  there  I  got  my  taste,  which,  you 
must  have  often  seen,  is  excellent.  Well,  here's  better 
acquaintance  to  us." 

Remarkable  nodded  a  return  to  the  compliment,  and 
took  a  sip  of  the  beverage  before  her ;  for,  provided  it  was 
well  sweetened,  she  had  no  objection  to  a  small  potation 
now  and  then.  After  this  observance  of  courtesy  between 
the  worthy  couple,  the  dialogue  proceeded. 

"  You  have  had  great  experiences  in  life,  Benjamin,  for, 
as  the  Scripter  says,  '  They  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships 
see  the  works  of  the  Lord.' " 

"  Aye,  for  that  matter,  they  in  brigs  and  schooners  too ; 
and  it  mought  say,  the  works  of  the  devil.  The  sea,  Mis 
tress  Remarkable,  is  a  great  advantage  to  a  man,  in  the 
way  of  knowledge,  for  he  sees  the  fashions  of  nations,  and 
the  shape  of  a  country.  Now,  I  suppose,  for  myself  here, 
who  is  but  an  unearned  man  to  some  that  follows  the  seas, 
I  suppose  that,  taking  the  coast  from  Cape  Ler  Hogue,  as 
low  down  as  Cape  Finish-there,  there  isn't  so  much  as  a 
headland,  or  an  island,  that  I  don't  know  either  the  name  of 
it,  or  something  more  or  less  about  it.  Take  enough, 
woman,  to  color  the  water.  Here's  sugar.  It's  a  sweet 
tooth,  that  fellow  that  you  hold  on  upon  yet,  Mistress 
Prettybones.  But,  as  I  was  saying,  take  the  whole  coast 
along,  I  know  it  as  well  as  the  way  from  here  to  the  Bold 
Dragoon  ;  and  a  devil  of  an  acquaintance  is  that  Bay  of 
Biscay.  Whew.!  I  wish  you  could  but  hear  the  wind  blow 
there.  It  sometimes  takes  two  to  .hold  one  man's  hair  on 
nis  head.  Scudding  through  the  Bay  is  pretty  much  the 
same  thing  as  travelling  the  roads  in  this  country,  up  one 
side  of  the  mountain,  and  down  the  other." 

"  Do  tell !  "  exclaimed  Remarkable  ;  "  and  does  the  sea 
mn  as  high  as  mountains,  Benjamin  ?  " 


TUE   PIONEERS .  173 

a  Well,  I  will  tell ;  but  first  let's  taste  the  grog.  Hem  1 
it's  tho  right  kind  of  stuff,  I  must  say,  that  you  keep  in  this 
country,  but  then  you're  so  close  aboard  the  West  Indies, 
you  make  but  a  small  run  of  it.  By  the  Lord  Harry, 
woman,  if  Garnsey  only  lay  somewhere  between  Cape  Hat- 
teras  and  the  Bite  of  Logann,  but  you'd  see  rum  cheap  1 
As  to  the  seas,  they  runs  more  in  uppers  in  the  Bay  of 
Biscay,  unless  it  may  be  in  a  sou'wester,  when  they  tumble 
about  quite  handsomely  ;  tho'f  it's  not  in  the  narrow  sea  that 
you  are  to  look  for  a  swell ;  just  go  off  the  Western  Islands, 
in  a  westerly  blow,  keeping  the  land  on  your  larboard  hand, 
with  the  ship's  head  to  the  south'ard,  and  bring  to,  under  a 
close-reefed  topsail ;  or,  mayhap,  a  reefed  foresail,  with  a 
fore-topmast-staysail,  and  mizzen-staysail,  to  keep  her  up  to 
the  sea,  if  she  will  bear  it ;  and  lay  there  for  the  matter  of 
two  watches,  if  you  want  to  see  mountains.  Why,  good 
woman,  I've  been  off  there  in  the  Boadishey  frigate,  when 
you  could  see  nothing  but  some  such  matter  as  a  piece  of 
sky,  mayhap,  as  big  as  the  mainsail  ;  and  then  again,  there 
was  a  hole  under  your  lee-quarter  big  enough  to  hold  the 
whole  British  navy." 

"  0  !  for  massy 's  sake !  and  wa'n't  you  afeared,  Benja 
min  ?  and  how  did  you  get  off?  " 

"  Afeared!  who  the  devil  do  you  think  was  to  be  frightened 
at  a  little  salt  water  tumbling  about  his  head  ?  As  for  get 
ting  off,  when  we  had  enough  of  it,  and  had  washed  our 
decks  down  pretty  well,  we  called  all  hands,  for,  d'ye  see, 
the  watch  below  was  in  their  hammocks,  all  the  same  as  if 
they  were  in  one  of  your  best  bedrooms ;  and  so  we 
matched  for  a  smooth  time  ;  clapt  her  helm  hard  a-weather, 
let  fall  the  foresail,  and  got  the  tack  abcard  ;  and  so,  when 
we  got  her  afore  it,  I  ask  you,  Mistress  Prettybor  es,  if  she 
didn't  walk  ?  didn't  she  ?  I'm  no  liar  good  woman,  when 
I  say  that  I  saw  that  ship  jump  from  the  top  of  one  sea  to 
another,  just  like  one  of  these  squirrels,  that  can  fly,  jumps 
from  tree  to  tree." 

"  What,  clean  out  of  the  water!  "  exclaimed  Remarkable, 
lifting  her  two  lank  arms,  with  their  bony  hands  spread  ia 
astonishment. 


174  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  It  was  no  such  easy  matter  to  get  out  of  the  water, 
good  woman ;  for  the  spray  flew  so  that  you  couldn't  tell 
which  was  sea  and  which  was  cloud.  So  there  we  kept  her 
afore  it  for  the  matter  of  two  glasses.  The  first  lieutenant 
he  cun'd  the  ship  himself,  and  there  was  four  quartermasters 
at  the  wheel,  besides  the  master  with  six  forecastle  men  in 
the  gun-room,  at  the  relieving  tackles.  But  then  she  be 
haved  herself  so  well !  O  !  she  was  a  sweet  ship,  mistress  ! 
That  one  frigate  was  well  worth  more,  to  live  in,  than  the 
best  house  in  the  island.  .  If  I  was  King  of  England,  I'd 
have  her  hauled  up  above  Lon'on  bridge,  and  fit  her  up  for 
a  palace  ;  because  why  ?  if  anybody  can  afford  to  live  com 
fortably,  his  Majesty  can." 

"  Well !  but,  Benjamin,"  cried  the  listener,  who  was  in 
an  ecstasy  of  astonishment,  at  this  relation  of  the  steward's 
dangers,  "  what  did  you  do  ?  " 

"  Do  !  why  we  did  our  duty  like  hearty  fellows.  Now 
If  the  countrymen  of  Mounsheer  Ler  Quaw  had  been  aboard 
of  her,  they  would  have  just  struck  her  ashore  on  some  of 
them  small  islands ;  but  we  run  along  the  land,  until  we 
found  her  dead  to  leeward  off  the  mountains  of  Pico,  and 
dam'me  if  I  know  to  this  day  how  we  got  there  ;  whether 
we  jumped  over  the  island,  or  hauled  round  it ;  but  there 
we  was,  and  there  we  lay,  under  easy  sail,  fore-reaching 
first  upon  one  tack  and  then  upon  t'other,  so  as  to  poke  her 
nose  out  now  and  then,  and  take  a  look  to  wind'ard,  till  the 
gale  blowed  its  pipe  out." 

"  I  wonder  now  !  "  exclaimed  Remarkable,  to  whom  most 
of  the  terms  used  by  Benjamin  were  perfectly  unintelligible, 
but  who  had  got  a  confused  idea  of  a  raging  tempest.  "  It 
must  be  an  awful  life,  that  going  to  sea  !  and  I  don't  feel 
astonishment  that  you  are  so  affronted  with  the  thoughts  of 
being  forced  to  quit  a  comfortable  home  like  this.  Not  that 
a  body  cares  much  for't,  as  there's  more  houses  than  one  to 
live  in.  Why,  when  the  Judge  agreed  with  me  to  come  and 
live  with  liim,  I'd  no  more  notion  of  stopping  any  time  than 
anything.  I  happened  itf,  just  to  see  how  the  family  did, 
about  a  week  after  Miss  Temple  died,  thinking  to  be  back 
homo  agin  night ;  but  the  family  was  in  sitch  a  distressed 


THE  PIONEEBS.  175 

way,  that  I  couldn't  but  stop  awhile,  and  help  'em  on,  I 
thought  the  situation  a  good  one,  seeing  that  I  was  an  un 
married  body,  and  they  were  so  much  in  want  of  help  ;  so 
I  tarried." 

"  And  a  long  time  have  you  left  your  anchors  down  in 
the  same  place,  mistress.  I  think  you  must  find  that  the* 
ship  rides  easy." 

"  How  you  talk,  Benjamin  !  there's  no  believing  a  word 
you  say.  I  must  say  that  the  Judge  and  Squire  Jones  have 
both  acted  quite  clever,  so  long ;  but  I  see  that  now  we 
shall  have  a  specimen  to  the  contrary.  I  heer'n  say  that 
the  Judge  was  gone  a  great  'broad,  and  that  he  meant  to 
bring  his  darter  hum,  but  I  didn't  calculate  on  sitch  carrins 
on.  To  my  notion,  Benjamin,  she's  likely  to  turn  out  a 
desp'ut  ugly  gal." 

"Ugly!"  echoed  the  major-domo,  opening  eyes  that  were 
beginning  to  close  in  a  very  suspicious  sleepiness,  in  wide 
amazement.  "  By  the  Lord  Harry,  woman,  I  should  as  soon 
think  of  calling  the  Boadishey  a  clumsy  frigate.  What  the 
devil  would  you  have  ?  aren't  her  eyes  as  bright  as  the  morn 
ing  and  evening  stars  ?  and  isn't  her  hair  as  black  and  glisten 
ing  as  rigging  that  has  just  had  a  lick  of  tar  ?  doesn't  she 
move  as  stately  as  a  first-rate  in  smooth  water,  on  a  bow 
line  ?  Why,  woman,  the  figure-head  of  the  Boadishey  was 
a  fool  to  her,  and  that,  as  I've  often  heard  the  captain  say, 
was  an  image  of  a  great  queen  ;  and  aren't  queens  always 
comely  women?  for  who  do  you  think  would  be  a  king,  and 
Vot  choose  a  handsome  bedfellow  ?  " 

"  Talk  decent,  Benjamin,"  said  the  housekeeper,  "  or  I 
won't  keep  your  company.  I  don't  gainsay  her  being  comely 
to  look  on,  but  I  will  maintain  that  she's  likely  to  show  poor 
conduct ,  She  seems  to  think  herself  too  good  to  talk  to  a 
body.  From  what  Squire  Jones  had  telled  me,  I  some  ex 
pected  to  be  quite  captivated  by  her  company.  Now,  to  my 
reckoning,  Lowizy  Grant  is  much  more  pritty  behaved  than 
Betsey  Temple.  She  wouldn't  so  much  a*  hold  discourse 
with  me,  when  I  wanted  to  ask  her  how  she  felt,  on  coming 
home  and  missing  her  mammy." 

"  Perhaps  she  didn't  understand  you,  woman  ;  you  aro 


176  THE  PIONEERS. 

none  of  the  best  linguister  ;  and  theu  Miss  Lizzy  has  been 
exercising  the  king's  English  under  a  great  Lon'on  lady 
and,  for  that  matter,  can  talk  the  language  almost  as  well 
as  myself,  or  any  native  born  British  subject.  You've  for 
got  your  schooling,  and  the  young  mistress  is  a  great  scol- 
lard." 

"  Mistress  !  "  cried  Remarkable,  "  don't  make  one  out  to 
be  a  nigger,  Benjamin.  She's  no  mistress  of  mine,  and  never 
will  be.  And  as  to  speech,  I  hoM  myself  as  second  to  no 
body  out  of  New  England.  I  was  born  and  raised  in  Essex 
County  ;  and  I've  always  heer'n  say  that  the  Bay  State  was 
provarbal  for  pronounsation  !  " 

"  I've  often  heard  of  that  Bay  of  State,"  said  Benjamin, 
"  but  can't  say  that  I've  ever  been  in  it,  nor  do  I  know  ex 
actly  where-away  it  is  that  it  lays  ;  but  I  suppose  there  is 
good  anchorage  in  it,  and  that  it's  no  bad  place  for  the  tak 
ing  of  ling ;  but  for  size,  it  can't  be  so  much  as  a  yawl  te  * 
sloop  of  war,  compared  with  the  Bay  of  Biscay,  or  mayhap, 
Torbay.  And  as  for  language,  if  you  want  to  hear  the  dic 
tionary  overhauled,  like  a  long-line  in  a  blow,  you  must  go  to 
Wapping,  and  listen  to  the  Lon'oners,  as  they  deal  out  their 
lingo.  Howsomever,  I  see  no  such  mighty  matter  that  Miss 
Lizzy  has  been  doing  to  you,  good  woman,  so  take  another 
drop  of.  your  brew,  and  forgive  and  forget,  like  an  honest 
soul." 

"  No,  indeed !  and  I  shan't  do  sitch  a  thing,  Benjamin. 
This  treatment  is  a  newity  to.  me,  and  what  I  won't  put  upt 
with.  I  have  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  at  use,  besides  a' 
bed  and  twenty  sheep,  to  good  ;  and  I  don't  crave  to  live  iu 
a  house  where  a  body  mustn't  call  a  young  woman  .by  her 
givei  name  to  her  face.  I_will  call  .her  Betsey  as  much  as 
I  please ;  it's  a  free  country,  and  no  one  can  stop  me.  I  did 
intend  tc  stop  while  summer,  but  I  shall  quit  to-morrow 
morning ;  and  I  will  talk  just  as  I  please." 

"  For  that  matter,  Mistress  Remarkable,"  said  Benjamin, 
u  there's  none  here  who  will  contradict  you ;  for  I'm  of 
opinion  that  it  would  be  as  easy  to  stop  a  hurricane  with  a 
Barcelony  handkerchy,  as  to  bring  up  your  tongue  wheu 
the  stopper  is  off.  I  say,  good  woman,  do  they  grow  many 
monkeys  along  the  shores  of  that  Bay  of  State  ?  " 


THE  PIONEERS.  177 

"  You're  a  monkey  yourself,  Mr.  Penguillum ,"  cried  the 
enraged  housekeeper,  "  or  a  bear !  a  black,  beastly  bear  ! 
and  ain't  fit  for  a  decent  woman  to  stay  with.  I'll  never 
keep  your  company  ag'in,  sir,  if  I  should  live  thirty  years 
with  the  Judge.  Sitch  talk  is  more  befitting  the  kitchen 
than  the  keeping-room  of  a  house  of  one  who  is  well  to  do 
in  the  world." 

"  Look  you,  Mistress  Pitty  —  Patty  —  Prettybones,  may 
hap  I'm  some  such  matter  as  a  bear,  as  they  will  find  who 
come  to  grapple  with  me  ;  but  dani'me  if  I'm  a  monkey  — 
a  thing  that  chatters  without  knowing  a  word  of  what  it 
says  —  a  parrot  ;  that  will  hold  a  dialogue,  for  what  an 
honest  man  knows,  in  a  dozen  languages  ;  mayhap  in  the 
Bay  of  State  lingo ;  mayhap  in  Greek  or  High  Dutch. 
But  dost  it  know  what  it  means  itself?  canst  answer  me 
that,  good  woman  ?  Your  midshipman  can  sing  out,  and 
pass  the  word,  when  the  captain  gives  the  order,  but  just 
set  him  adrift  by  himself,  and  let  him  work  the  ship  of  his 
own  head,  and  stop  my  grog,  if  you  don't  find  all  the  Johnny 
Raws  laughing  at  him." 

"  Stop  your  grog,  indeed !  "  said  Remarkable,  rising  with 
great  indignation,  and  seizing  a  candle  ;  "  you're  groggy 
now,  Benjamin,  and  I'll  quit  the  room  before  I  hear  any 
misbecoming  words  from  you." 

The  housekeeper  retired,  with  a  manner  but  little  •  less 
dignified,  as  she  thought,  than  the  air  of  the  heiress,  mut 
tering,  as  she  drew  the  door  after  her,  with  a  noise  like  the 
report  of  a  musket,  the  opprobrious  terms  of  "  drunkard," 
••  sot,"  and  "  beast." 

"  Who's  that  you  say  is  drunk  ? "  cried  Benjamin, 
fiercely,  rising  and  making  a  movement  towards  Remark 
able.  "  You  talk  of  mustering  yourself  with  a  lady  I 
you're  just  fit  to  grumble  and  find  fault.  Where  the  devil 
should  you  larn  behavior  and  dictionary  ?  in  your  damned 
Bay  of  State,  ha  ?  " 

Benjamin  here  fell  back  in  his  chair,  and  soon  gave  vent 

to  certain  ominous  sounds,  whicli  resembled  not  a  little  the 

growling  of  his  favorite  animal,  the    bear    itself.     Before, 

however,  he  was  quite  locked  —  to  use  the  language  that 

1-2 


178  THE  PIONEERS. 

would  suit  the  Delia  CruScan  humor  of  certain  refined  minds 
of  the  present  day,  "  in  the  arms  of  Morpheus,"  he  spoke 
aloud,  observing  due  pauses  between  his  epithets,  the  im 
pressive  terms  of  "  monkey,"  "  parrot,"  "  pic-nic,"  "  tar-pot,*' 
and  "  linguisters." 

We  shall  not  attempt  to  explain  his  meaning,  nor  connect 
his  sentences ;  and  our  readers  must  be  satisfied  with  our  in 
forming  them  that  they  were  expressed  with  all  that  cool 
ness  of  contempt  that  a  man  might  well  be  supposed  to  feel 
for  a  monkey. 

Nearly  two  hours  passed  in  this  sleep  before  the  major- 
domo  was  awakened  by  the  noisy  entrance  of  Richard, 
Major  Hartmann,  and  the  master  of  the  mansion.  Benja 
min  so  far  rallied  his  confused  faculties,  as  to  shape  the 
course  of  the  two  former  to  their  respective  apartments, 
when  he  disappeared  himself,  leaving  the  task  of  securing 
the  house  to  him  who  was  most  interested  in  its  safety. 
Locks  and  bars  were  but  little  attended  to  in  the  early  day 
of  that  settlement ;  and  so  soon  as  Marmaduke  had  given 
an  eye  to  the  enormous  fires  of  his  dwelling,  he  retired. 
With  this  act  of  prudence  closes  the  first  night  of  ovi 
tale 


THE  PIONEEB8.  179 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Watch,  (aside).     Some  treason,  masters  — 
Yet  stand  close. 

MUCH  ADO  ABOUT  Nomura. 

Ii  was  fortunate  for  more  than  one  of  the  bacchanalian! 
who  left  the  "  Bold  Dragoon  "  late  in  the  evening,  that  the 
severe  cold  of  the  season  was  becoming  rapidly  less  danger 
ous,  as  they  threaded  the  different  mazes  through  the  snow 
banks  that  led  to  their  respective  dwellings.  Thin,  driving 
clouds  began,  towards  morning,  to  flit  across  the  heavens, 
and  the  moon  set  behind  a  volume  of  vapor  that  was  im 
pelled  furiously  towards  the  north,  carrying  with  it  the 
softer  atmosphere  from  the  distant  ocean.  The  rising  sun 
was  obscured  by  denser  and  increasing  columns  of  clouds, 
while  the  southerly  wind  that  rushed  up  the  valley,  brought 
the  never-failing  symptoms  of  a  thaw. 

It  was  quite  late  in  the  morning  before  Elizabeth,  observ 
ing  the  faint  glow  which  appeared  on  the  eastern  mountain, 
long  after  the  light  of  the  sun  had  struck  the  opposite  hills, 
ventured  from  the  house,  with  a  view  to  gratify  her  curios 
ity  with  a  glance  by  daylight  at  the  surrounding  objects,  be 
fore  the  tardy  revelers  of  the  Christmas  Eve  should  make 
their  appearance  nt  the  breakfast-table.  While  she  was 
drawing  ^the  folds  of  her  pelisse  more  closely  around  her 
form,  to  guard  against  a  cold  that  was  yet  great,  though 
rapidly  yielding,  in  the  small  in  closure  that  opened  in  the 
rear  of  the  house  on  a  little  thicket  of  low  pines,  that  were 
springing  up  where  trees  of  a  mightier  growth  had  lately 
stood,  she  was  surprised  at  the  voice  of  Mr.  Jones. 

"Merry  Christmas!  Merry  Christmas  to  you,  cousin 
Bess !  "  he  shouted.  "  Ah,  ha  !  an  early  riser,  I  see  ;  but  I 
knew  I  should  steal  a  march  on  you.  I  never  was  in  a 


180  THE  PIONEERS. 

house  yet,  where  I  didn't  get  the  first  Christmas  greeting 
on  every  soul  in  it,  man,  woman,  and  child  ;  great  and 
small ;  black,  white,  and  yellow.  But  stop  a  minute,  till  I 
can  just  slip  on  my  coat ;  you  are  about  to  look  at  the  im 
provements,  I  see,  which  no  one  can  explain  so  well  as  I, 
who  planned  them  all.  It  will  be  an  hour  before  'Duke 
and  the  Major  can  sleep  off  Mrs.  Hollister's  confounded  dia- 
tillations,  and  so  I'll  come  down  and  go  with  you." 

Elizabeth  turned,  and  observed  her  cousin  in  his  night 
cap,  with  his  head  out  of  his  bsdroom  window,  where  his 
real  for  preeminence,  in  defiance  of  the  weather,  had  im 
pelled  him  to  thrust  it.  She  laughed,  and  promising  to 
wait  for  his  company,  reentered  the  house,  making  her 
appearance  again,  holding  in  her  hand  a  packet  that  was 
secured  by  several  large  and  important  seals,  just  in  time  to 
meet  the  gentleman. 

"  Come,  Bessy,  come,"  he  cried,  drawing  one  of  her  arms 
through  his  own  ;  "  the  snow  begins  to  give,  but  it  will  bear 
us  yet.  Don't  you  snuff  old  Pennsylvania  in  the  very  air  ? 
This  is  a  vile  climate,  girl ;  now,  at  sunset,  last  evening,  it 
was  cold  enough  to  freeze  a  man's  zeal,  and  that,  I  can  tell 
you,  takes  a  thermometer  near  zero  for  me ;  then  about 
nine  or  ten  it  began  to  moderate  ;  at  twelve  it  was  quite  • 
mild,  and  here  all  the  rest  of  the  night  I  have  been  so  hot, 
as  not  to  bear  a  blanket  on  the  bed.  Holla  !  Agi^y,  — 
Merry  Christmas,  Aggy  —  I  say,  do  you  hear  me,  you  black 
dog  !  there's  a  dollar  for  you ;  and  if  the  gentlemen  get  up 
before  I  come  back,  do  you  come  out  and  let  me  know.  I  ' 
wouldn't  have  'Duke  get  the  start  of  me  for  the  worth  of 
your  head.'* 

The  black  caught  the  money  from  the  snow,  anc^promis- 
ing  a  due  degree  of  watchfulness,  he  gave  the  dollar  a 
whirl  of  twenty  feet  in  the  air,  and  catching  it  as  it  fell,  in 
the  palm  of  his  hand,  he  withdrew  to  the  kitchen,  to  ex 
hibit  liis  present,  with  a  heart  as  light  as  his  face  was  happy 
in  its  expression.  3 

"  0,  rest   easy,  my  dear  coz,"  said   the  young   lady  ;  "  I 
took  a  look  in  at  my  father,  who  is  likely  to  sleep  an  hour 
and,  by  using  due  vigilance,  you  will   secure  all  the  honori 
®f  the  season." 


THE   PIONEERS.  181 

a  Why,  'Duke  is  jour  father,  Elizabeth  ;  but  'Duke  is  a 
man  who  likes  to  be  foremost,  even  in  trifles.  Now,  as  for 
myself,  I  care  for  no  such  things,  except  in  the  way  of  com 
petition  ;  for  a  thing  which  is  of  no  moment  in  itself,  may 
be  made  of  importance  in  the  way  of  competition.  So  it 
is  with  your  father  —  he  loves  to  be  first ;  but  I  only  strug 
gle  with  him  as  a  competitor." 

"  It's  all  very  clear,  sir,"  said  Elizabeth  ;  "  you  wculd  not 
care  a  fig  for  distinction  if  there  were  no  one  in  the  world 
but  yourself ;  but  as  there  happen  to  be  a  great  many  others, 
why,  you  must  struggle  with  them  all  —  in  the  way  of  com 
petition." 

"  Exactly  so ;  I  see  you  are  a  clever  girl,  Bess,  and  one 
who  does  credit  to  her  masters.  It  was  my  plan  to  send 
you  to  that  school ;  for  when  your  father  first  mentioned  the 
thing,  I  wrote  a  private  letter  for  advice  to  a  judicious  friend 
in  the  city,  who  recommended  the  very  school  you  went  to. 
'Duke  was  a,  little  obstinate  at  first,  as  usual,  but  when  he 
heard  the  truth,  he  was  obliged  to  send  you." 

"  Well,  a  truce  to  'Duke's  foibles,  sir  ;  he  is  my  father  ; 
and  if  you  knew  what  he  has  been  doing  for  you  while 
we  were  in  Albany,  you  woul'd  deal  more  tenderly  with 
his  character." 

"  For  me  !  "  cried  Richard,  pausing  a  moment  in  his  walk 
to  reflect.  "  O  !  he  got  the  plans  of  the  new  Dutch  meet 
ing-house  for  me,  I  suppose  ;  but  I  care  very  little  about  it, 
for  a  man  of  a  certain  kind  of  talent  is  seldom  aided  by  any 
foreign  suggestions  :  his  own  brain  is  the  best  architect." 

"  No  such  thing,"  said  Elizabeth,  looking  provokinglj 
knowing, 

"  No  !  let  me  see  —  perhaps  he  had  my  name  put  in  the 
bill  for  ths  new  turnpike,  as  a  director." 

"  He  might  possibly ;  but  it  is  not  to  such  an  appointment 
Out  I  allude." 

"  Such  an  appointment !  "  repeated  Mr.  Jones,  who  began 
to  fidget  with  curiosity  ;  "  then  it  is  an  appointment.  If  it 
La  in  the  militia,  I  won't  take  it." 

(<  No,  no,  it  is  not  in  the  militia,"  cried  Elizabeth,  show 
ing  the  packet  in  her  hand,  and  then  drawing  it  back  with 


182  THE  PIONEERS. 

a  coquettish  air ;  "  it  is  an  office  of  both  honor  and  emolu« 
merit" 

"  Honor  and  emolument ! J  echoed  Richard,  hi  painful 
suspense  ;  "  show  me  the  paper,  girl.  Say,  is  it  an  office 
where  there  is  anything  to  do  ?  " 

»'  You  have  hit  it,  cousin  Dickon  ;  it  is  the  executive  office 
of  the  county ;  at  least  so  said  my  father,  when  he  gave  me 
this  packet  to  offer  you  as  a  Christmas-box.  l  Surely,  if 
anything  will  please  Dickon/  he  said,  *  it  will  be  to  fill  tho 
executive  chair  of  the  county.'  " 

"  Executive  chair  !  what  nonsense !  "  cried  the  impatient 
gentleman,  snatching  the  packet  from  her  hand ;  "  there  is 
no  such  office  in  the  county.  Eh  !  what !  it  is,  I  declare, 
a  commission,  appointing  Richard  Jones,  Esquire,  sheriff  of 
the  county.  Well,  this  is  kind  in  'Duke,  positively.  I  must 
say  'Duke  has  a  warm  heart,  and  never  forgets  his  friends. 

Sheriff!  High  Sheriff  of !  It  sounds  well,  Bess,  but 

it  shall  execute  better.  'Duke  is  a  judicious  man  after  all, 
and  knows  human  nature  thoroughly.  I'm  much  obliged  to 
him,"  continued  Richard,  using  the  skirt  of  his  coat  uncon 
sciously,  to  wipe  his  eyes ;  "  though  I  would  do  as  much 
for  him  any  day,  as  he  shall  see,  if  I  have  an  opportunity  to 
perform  any  of  the  duties  of  my  office  on  him.  It  shall  be 
done,  cousin  Bess  —  it  shall  be  done,  I  say.  How  this 
cursed  south  wind  makes  one's  eyes  water  !  " 

"  Now,  Richard,"  said  the  laughing  maiden,  "  now  I  think 
you  will  find  something  to  do.  I  have  often  heard  you  com 
plain  of  old,  that  there  was  nothing  to  do  in  this  new  coun 
try,  while  to  my  eyes  it  seemed  as  if  cverythiDg  remained 
to  be  done." 

"  Do ! "  echoed  Richard,  who  blew  his  nose,  raised  his 
little  form  to  its  greatest  elevation,  and  looked  scrims. 
' i  Every  thing  depends  on  system,  girl.  I  shall  sit  down  this 
afternoon,  and  systematize  the  county.  I  must  have  depu 
ties,  you  know.  I  will  divide  the  county  into  districts,  over 
which  I  will  place  my  deputies;  and  I  will  have  one 'for 
the  village,  which  I  will  call  my  home  department.  Let 
"me  see  —  O!  Benjamin!  yes,  Benjamin  will  make  a  good 
deputy ;  he  has  been  naturalized,  and  would  answer  ad 
mirably,  if  he  could  only  ride  on  horseback." 


THE   PIONEERS.  183 

"  Yes,  Mr.  Sheriff,"  said  his  companion ;  "  and  as  he  un 
derstands  ropes  so  well,  he  would  be  very  expert,  should 
occasion  happen  for  his  servjpes,  in  another  way." 

"No,"  interrupted  the  other,  "I  flatter  myself  that  no 
man  could  hang  a  man  better  than  —  that  is  —  ha  —  O! 
yes,  Benjamin  would  do  extremely  well,  in  such  an  unfor 
tunate  dilemma,  if  he  could  be  persuaded  to  attempt  it. 
But  I  should  despair  of  the  thing.  I  never  could  induce 
him  to  hang,  or  teach  him  to  ride  on  horseback.  I  must 
seek  another  deputy." 

"  Well,  sir,  as  you  have  abundant  leisure  for  all  these 
important  affairs,  I  beg  that  you  will  forget  that  you  are 
High  Sheriff,  and  devote  some  little  of  your  time  to  gal 
lantry.  Where  are  the  beauties  and  improvements  which 
you  were  to  show  me  ?  " 

"  Where  ?  why  everywhere.  Here  I  have  laid  out  some 
new  streets ;  and  when  they  are  opened,  and  the  trees  felled, 
and  they  are  all  built  up,  will  they  not  make  a  fine  town  ? 
Well,  'Duke  is  a  liberal-hearted  fellow,  with  all  his  stub 
bornness.  Yes,  yes,  I  must  have  at  least  four  deputies, 
besides  a  jailer." 

"  I  see  no  streets  in  the  direction  of  our  walk,"  said 
Elizabeth,  "  unless  you  call  the  short  avenues  through  these 
pine  bushes  by  that  name.  Surely  you  do  not  contemplate 
building  houses,  very  soon,  in  that  forest  before  us,  and  in 
those  swamps ! " 

"  We  must  run  our  streets  by  the  compass,  coz,  and  dis 
regard  trees,  hills,  ponds,  stumps,  or,  in  fact,  anything  but 
posterity.  Such  is  the  will  of  your  father,  and  your  father, 
vou  know  "  — 

"Had  you  made  Sheriff,  Mr.  Jones,"  interrupted  the  lady, 
mlk  a  tone  that  said  very  plainly  to  the  gentleman,  that  ho 
was  touching  a  forbidden  subject. 

"  I  know  it,  I  know  it,"  cried  Richard  ;  "  and  if  it  were 
In  my  power,  I'd  make  'Duke  a  king.  He  is  a  noble- 
hearted  fellow,  and  would  make  an  excellent  king ;  that  is, 
if  he  had  a  good  prime  minister.  But  who  have  we  here  ? 
roices  in  the  bushes ;  a  combination  about  mischief,  I'll 
wager  my  commission.  Let  us  draw  near,  and  examine  • 
little  into  the  matter." 


184  THE  PIONEERS. 

During  this  dialogue,  as  the  parties  had  kept  in  motion, 
Richard  and  his  cousin  advanced  some  distance  from  the 
house,  into  the  open  space  in  t^e  rear  of  the  village,  where, 
as  may  be  gathered  from  the  conversation,  streets  were 
planned,  and  future  dwellings  contemplated ;  but  where,  in 
truth,  the  only  mark  of  improvement  that  was  to  be  seen, 
was  a  neglected  clearing  along  the  skirt  of  a  dark  forest  of 
mighty  pines,  over  which  the  bushes  or  sprouts  of  the  same 
tree  had  sprung  up,  to  a  height  that  interspersed  the  fields 
of  snow  with  little  thickets  of  evergreen.  The  rushing  of 
the  wind,  as  it  whistled  through  the  tops  of  these  mimic 
trees,  prevented  the  footsteps  of  the  pair  from  being  heard, 
while  the  branches  concealed  their  persons.  Thus  aided,  the 
listeners  drew  nigh  to  a  spot  where  the  young  hunter, 
Leather-Stocking,  and  the  Indian  chief,  were  collected  in 
an  earnest  consultation.  The  former  was  urgent  in  his 
manner,  and  seemed  to  think  the  subject  of  deep  impor 
tance,  while  Natty  appeared  to  listen  with  more  than  his 
usual  attention,  to  what  the  other  was  saying.  Mohegan 
stood  a  little  on  one  side,  with  his  head  sunken  on  his  chest, 
his  hair  falling  forward,  so  as  to  conceal  most  of  his  features, 
and  his  whole  attitude  expressive  of  deep  dejection,  if  not 
of  shame. 

"  Let  us  withdraw,"  whispered  Elizabeth ;  "  we  are  in 
truders,  and  can  have  no  right  to  listen  to  the  secrets  of 
these  men." 

"  No  right ! "  returned  Richard,  a  little  impatiently,  in 
the  same  tone,  and  drawing  her  arm  so  forcibly  through  his 
own  as  to  prevent  her  retreat ;  "  you  forget,  cousin,  that  it 
is  my  duty  to  preserve  the  peace  of  the  county,  and  see  the 
laws  executed.  These  wanderers  frequently  commit  depre 
dations;  though  I  do  not  think  John  would  do  anything 
secretly.  Poor  fellow  !  he  was  quite  boozy  last  night,  and 
hardly  seems  to  be  over  it  yet.  Let  us  draw  nigher,  and 
hear  what  they  say." 

Notwithstanding  the  lady's  reluctance,  Richard,  stimulated 
doubtless  by  his  nice  sense  of  duty,  prevailed ;  and  they 
were  soon  so  near  as  distinctly  to  hear  sounds. 

"  The  bird  must  be  had,"  said  Natty,  "  by  fair  meant  01 


THE  PIONEERS,  185 

foul.  Heigho  !  I've  known  the  time,  lad,  when  the  wild 
turkeys  wasn't  over  scarce  in  the  country  ;  though  you  must 
go  into  the  Virginy  gaps,  if  you  want  them  now.  To  be 
sure,  there  is  a  different  taste  to  a  partridge,  and  a  well- 
fatted  turkey  ;  though,  to  my  eating,  beaver's  tail  and  bear's 
hams  makes  the  best  of  food.  But  then  every  one  has  his 
own  appetite.  I  gave  the  last  farthing,  all  to  that  shilling, 
to  the  French  trader,  this  very  morning,  as  I  came  through 
the  town,  for  powder  ;  so,  as  you  have  nothing,  we  can  have 
but  one  shot  for  it.  I  know  that  Billy  Kirby  is  out,  and 
means  to  have  a  pull  of  the  trigger  at  that  very  turkey. 
John  has  a  true  eye  for  a  single  fire,  and  somehow  my  hand 
shakes  so  whenever  I  have  to  do  anything  extrornary,  that 
I  often  lose  my  aim.  Now,  when  I  killed  the  she-bear  this 
fall,  with  her  cubs,  though  they  were  so  mighty  ravenous,  I 
knocked  them  over  one  at  a  shot,  and  loaded  while  I  dodged 
the  trees  in  the  bargain  ;  but  this  is  a  very  different  thing, 
Mr.  Oliver." 

*'  This,"  cried  the  young  man  with  an  accent  that  sounded 
as  if  he  took  a  bitter  pleasure  in  his  poverty,  while  he  held 
a  shilling  up  before  his  eyes,  "  this  is  all  the  treasure  that  I 
possess  —  this  and  my  rifle  !  Now,  indeed,  I  have  become 
a  man  of  the  woods,  and  must  place  my  sole  dependence  on 
the  chase.  Come,  Natty,  let  us  stake  the  last  penny  for  the 
bird ;  with  your  aim,  it  cannot  foil  to  be  successful." 

"  I  would  rather  it  should  be  John,  lad ;  my  heart  jumps 
iito  my  mouth,  because  you  set  your  mind  so  much  on't ; 
and  I'm  sartain  that  I  shall  miss  the  bird.  Them  Indians 
can  shoot  one  time  as  well  as  another  ;  nothing  ever  troubles 
them.  I  say,  John,  here's  a  shilling  ;  take  my  rifle,  and  get 
a  ehot  at  the  big  turkey  they've  put  up  at  the  stump.  Mr. 
Oliver  is  over  anxious  for  the  creatur'  and  I'm  sure  to  do 
^othing'when  I  have  over  anxiety  about  it." 

The  Indian  turned  his  head  gloomily,  and,  after  looking 
keenly  for  a  moment,  in  profound  silence,  at  his  companions,. 
.  e  replied,  — 

u  When  John  was  young,  eyesight  was  not  straighter  than 
his  bullet.  The  Mingo  squaws  cried  out  at  the  sound  of 
Lifl  rifle.  The  Mingo  warriors  were  made  squaws.  When 


186  THE  PIONEERS. 

did  he  ever  shoot  twice !  The  eagle  went  above  the 
clouds,  when  he  passed  the  wigwam  of  Chingachgook ;  his 
feathers  were  plenty  with  the  women.  But  see,"  he  said, 
raising  his  voice  from  the  low,  mournful  tones,  in  which  he 
had  spoken,  to  a  pitch  of  keen  excitement,  and  stretching 
forth  both  hands,  "  they  shake  like  a  deer  at  the  wolfs  howl. 
Is  John  old  ?  When  was  a  Mohican  a  squaw,  with  seventy 
winters  !  No  !  the  white  man  brings  old  age  with  him  — 
rum  is  his  tomahawk  !  " 

"  Why  then  do  you  use  it,  old  man  ? "  exclaimed  the 
young  hunter;  "why  will  one,  so  noble  by  nature,  aid  the 
devices  of  the  devil,  by  making  himself  a  beast ! " 

"  Beast !  is  John  a  beast  ? "  replied  the  Indian  slowly ; 
"  yes  ;  you  say  no  lie,  child  of  the  Fire-eater !  John  is  a 
beast.  The  smokes  were  once  few  in  these  hills.  Tho 
deer  would  lick  the  hand  of  a  white  man,  and  the  birds  rest 
on  his  head.  They  were  strangers  to  him.  My  fathers 
came  from  the  shores  of  the  salt  lake.  They  fled  before 
rum.  They  came  to  their  grandfather,  and  they  lived  in 
peace ;  or.,  when  they  did  raise  the  hatchet,  it  was  to  strike 
it  into  the  brain  of  a  Mingo.  They  gathered  around  the 
council-fire,  and  what  they  said  was  done.  Then  John  was 
the  man.  But  warriors  and  traders  with  light  eyes  followed 
them.  One  brought  the  long  knife,  and  one  brought  rum. 
They  were  more  than  the  pines  on  the  mountains ;  and  they 
broke  up  the  councils,  and  took  the  lands.  The  evil  spirit 
was  in  their  jugs,  and  they  let  him  loose.  Yes,  yes  —  you 
Bay  no  lie,  Young  Eagle  ;  John  is  a  Christian  beast." 

"  Forgive  me,  old  warrior,"  cried  the  youth,  grasping  his 
hand;  "I  should  be  the  last  to  reproach  you.  The  curses 
of  Heaven  light  on  the  cupidity  that  has  destroyed  such  a 
race.  Remember,  John,  that  I  am  of  your  family,  and  it 
U  now  my  greatest  pride." 

The  muscles  of  Mohegan  relaxed  a  little,  and  he  said, 
more  mildly,  — 

"  You  are  a  Delaware,  my  son  ;  your  words  are  not 
heard ;  John  cannot  shoot." 

"I  thought  that  lad  had  Indian  blood  in  him."  whispered 
Richard,  "  by  the.  awkward  way  he  handled  my  horses  last 


THE  PIONEERS.  187 

niglu.  You  see^  coz,  they  never  use  harness.  But  the 
poor  fellow  shall  have  two  shots  at  the  turkey,  if  he  wants 
it,  for  I'll  give  him  another  shilling  myself;  though,  perhaps, 
I  had  better  offer  to  shoot  for  him.  They  have  got  up 
their  Christmas  sports,  I  find,  in  the  bushes  yonder,  where 
you  hear  the  laughter;  though  it  is  a  queer  taste  this  chap 
has  for  turkey ;  not  but  what  it  is  good  eating,  too." 
-  "  Hold,  cousin  Richard,"  exclaimed  Elizabeth,  clinging 
to  his  arm,  "  would  it  be  delicate  to  offer  a  shilling  to  that 
gentleman  ?  " 

"  Gentleman  again!  do  you  think  a. half-breed,  like  him, 
will  refuse  money  ?  No,  no,  girl,  he  will  take  the  shilling ; 
aye!  and  even  rum  too,  notwithstanding  he  moralizes  go 
much  about  it.  But  I'll  give  the  lad  a  chance  for  his 
turkey,  for  that  Billy  Kirby  is  one  of  the  best  marksmen  in 
the  country ;  that  is,  if  we  except  the  —  the  gentleman." 

"  Then,"  said  Elizabeth,  who  found  her  strength  unequal 
to  her  will,  "  then,  sir,  I  will  speak."  She  advanced,  with 
an  air  of  determination,  in  front  of  her  cousin,  and  entered 
the  little  circle  of  bushes  that  surrounded  the  trio  of 
hunters.  Her  appearance  startled  the  youth,  who  at  first 
made  an  unequivocal  motion  towards  retiring,  but,  recollect 
ing  himself,  bowed,  by  lifting  his  cap,  and  resumed  his 
attitude  of  leaning  on  his  rifle.  Neither  Natty  nor  Mohe- 
gan  betrayed  any  emotion,  though  the  appearance  of  Eliza 
beth  was  so  entirely  unexpected. 

"  I  find,"  she  said,  "  that  the  old  Christmas  sport  of 
shooting  the  turkey  is  yet  in  use  among  you.  I  feel  in 
clined  to  try  my  chance  for  a  bird.  Which  of  you  will 
take  this  money,  and,  after  paying  my  fee,  give  me  the  aid 
of  his  rifle?" 

"  Is  this  a  sport  for  a  lady  ? "  exclaimed  the  young 
hunter,  with  an  emphasis  that  could  not  well  be  mistaken, 
and  with  a  rapidity  that  showed  he  spoke  without  consult 
ing  anything  but  feeling. 

"  Why  not,  sir  ?  If  it  be  inhuman,  the  sin  is  not  con 
fined  to  one  sex  only.  But  I  have  my  humor  as  well  as 
others.  I  ask  not  your  assistance;  but"  —  turning  to 
Natty,  and  dropping  a  dollar  in  his  hand  — "  this  old 


188  THE  PIONEERS. 

veteran  of  the  forest  will  not  be  so  ungallaiit  as  to  refuse 
one  fire  for  a  lady." 

Leather-Stocking  dropped  the  money  into  his  pouch,  and 
throwing  up  the  end  of  his  rifle,  he  freshened  his  priming ; 
and,  first  laughing  in  his  usual  manner,  he  threw  the  piece 
over  his  shoulder,  and  said,  — 

"  If  Billy  Kirby  don't  get  the  bird  before  me,  and  the 
Frenchman's  powder  don't  hang  fire  this  damp  morning, 
you'll  see  as  fine  a  turkey  dead,  in  a  few  minutes,  as  ever 
was  eaten  in  the  Judge's  shanty.  I  have  knowed  the 
Dutch  women,  on  the  Mohawk  and  Schoharie,  count  greatly 
on  coming  to  the  merry-makings ;  and  so,  lad,  you  shouldn't 
be  short  with  the  lady.  Come,  let  us  go  forward,  for  if  we 
wait,  the  finest  bird  will  be  gone." 

"  But  I  have  a  right  before  you,  Natty,  and  shall  try  my 
own  luck  first.  You  will  excuse  me,  Miss  Temple  ;  I  have 
much  reason  to  wish  that  bird,  and  may  seem  ungallant, 
but  I  must  claim  my  privileges." 

"  Claim  anything  that  is  justly  your  own,  sir,"  returned 
the  lady  ;  "  we  are  both  adventurers ;  and  this  is  my  knight. 
I  trust  my  fortune  to  his  hand  and  eye.  Lead  on,  Sir 
Leather-Stocking,  and  we  will  follow." 

Natty,  who  seemed  pleased  with  the  frank  address  of  the 
young  and  beauteous  Elizabeth,  who  had  so  singularly  in 
trusted  him  with  such  a  commission,  returned  the  bright 
smile  with  which  she  had  addressed  him,  by  his  own  pecul 
iar  mark  of  mirth,  and  moved  across  the  snow,  towards  the 
spot  whence  the  sounds  of  boisterous  mirth  proceeded,  with 
the  long  strides  of  a  hunter.  His  companions  followed  in 
silence,  the  youth  casting  frequent  and  uneasy  glances 
towards  Elizabeth,  who  was  detained  by  a  motion  from 
Richard. 

"  I  should  think,  Miss  Temple,"  he  said,  so  soon  as  the 
others  were  out  of  hearing,  "  that  if  you  really  wished  a 
turkey,  you  would  not  have  taken  a  stranger  for  the  office, 
and  such  a  one  as  Leather-Stocking.  But  I  can  hardly 
believe  that  you  are  serious,  for  I  have  fifty  at  this  moment 
shut  up  in  the  coops,  in  every  stage  of  fat,  so  that  you 
might  choose  any  quality  you  pleased.  There  are  six  thai 


THE  PIONEERS  189 

I  am  trying  an  experiment  on,  by  giving  them  brick-bat* 
with"-— 

"  Enough,  cousin  Dickon,"  interrupted  the  lady ;  "  I  do 
wish  the  bird,  and  it  is  because  I  so  wish,  that  I  commis 
sioned  this  Mr.  Leather-Stocking." 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  of  the  great  shot  that  I  made  at  the 
wolf,  cousin  Elizabeth,  who  was  carrying  off  your  father's 
sheep  ? "  said  Richard,  drawing  himself  up  into  an  air  of 
displeasure.  "  He  had  the  sheep  on  his  back  ;  and  had  the 
head  of  the  wolf  been  on  the  other  side,  I  should  have 
killed  him  dead  ;  as  it  was  "  — 

"  You  killed  the  sheep,  —  I  know  it  all,  dear  coz.  But 

would  it  have  been  decorous  for  the  High  SheriiF  of 

to  mingle  in  such  sports  as  these  ?  " 

"  Surely  you  did  not  think  that  I  intended  actually  to 
fire  with  my  own  hands  ?  "  said  Mr.  Jones.  "  But  let  us 
follow,  and  see  the  shooting.  There  is  no  fear  of  anything 
unpleasant  occurring  to  a  female  in  this  new  country, 
especially  to  your  father's  daughter,  and  in  my  presence." 

"  My  father's  daughter  fears  nothing,  sir,  more  especially 
when  escorted  by  the  highest  executive  officer  in  the 
county." 

She  took  his  arm,  and  he  led  her  through  the  mazes  of 
the  bushes  to  the  spot  where  most  of  the  young  men  of  the 
village  were  collected  for  the  sports  of  shooting  a  Christmai 
match,  and  whither  Natty  and  his  companions  had  alreadj 
pi  eoaded  them. 


190  THE  PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER  XVn. 

I  guess,  by  all  this  quaint  array, 
The  burghers  hold  their  sports  to-day. 

SCOTT. 

THE  ancient  amusement  of  shooting  the  Christmas  turkey 
is  one  of  the  few  sports  that  the  settlers  of  a  new  country 
seldom  or  never  neglect  to  observe.  It  was  connected 
with  the  daily  practices  of  a  people  who  often  laid  aside  the 
axe  or  the  scythe  to  seize  the  rifle,  as  the  deer  glided 
through  the  forests  they  were  felling,  or  the  bear  entered 
their  rough  meadows  to  scent  the  air  of  a  clearing,  and  to 
scan,  with  a  look  of  sagacity,  the  progress  of  the  invader. 

On  the  present  occasion,  the  usual  amusement  of  the  day 
had  been  a  little  hastened,  in  order  to  allow  a  fair  oppor 
tunity  to  Mr.  Grant,  whose  exhibition  was  not  less  a  treat 
to  the  young  sportsmen,  than  the  one  which  engaged  their 
present  attention.  The  owner  of  the  birds  was  a  free  black, 
who  had  prepared  for  the  occasion  a  collection  of  game 
that  was  admirably  qualified  to  inflame  the  appetite  of  an 
epicure,  and  was  well  adapted  to  the-  means  and  skill  of  the 
different  competitors,  who  were  of  all  ages.  He  had. 
offered  to  the  younger  and  more  humble  marksmen  divers 
birds  of  an  inferior  quality,  and  some  shooting  had  already 
taken  place,  much  to  the  pecuniary  advantage  of  the  sable 
owner  of  the  game.  The  order  of  the  sports  was  extremely 
simple,  and  well  understood.  The  bird  was  fastened  by  a 
string  to  the  stump  of  a  large  pine,  the  side  of  which, 
towards  the  point  where  the  marksmen  were  placed,  had 
been  flattened  with  an  axe,  in  order  that  it  might  serve  the 
purpose  of  a  target  by  which  the  merit  of  each  individual 
might  be  ascertained.  The  distance  between  the  stump  and 
shooting-stand  was  one  hundred  measured  yards  :  a  foot 
more  or  a  foot  less  being  thought  an  invasion  of  the  right 


THE  PIONEERS.  191 

of  one  of  the  parties.  The  negro  affixed  his  own  price  to 
every  bird,  and  the  terms  of  the  chance ;  but  when  these 
were  once  established,  he  was  obliged  by  the  strict  principles 
of  public  justice  that  prevailed  in  the  country,  to  admit  any 
adventurer  who  might  offer. 

The  throng  consisted  of  some  twenty  or  thirty  young 
men,  most  of  whom  had  rifles,  and  a  collection  of  all  the 
boys  in  the  village.  The  little  urchins,  clad  in  coarse  but 
warm  garments,  stood  gathered  around  the  more  distin 
guished  marksmen,  with  their  hands  stuck  under  their 
waistbands,  listening  eagerly  to  the  boastful  stories  of  skill 
that  had  been  exhibited  on  former  occasions,  and  were 
already  emulating  in  their  hearts  these  wonderful  deeds  in 
gunnery. 

The  chief  speaker  was  the  man  who  had  been  mentioned 
by  Natty  as  Billy  Kirby.  This  fellow,  whose  occupation, 
when  .he  did  labor,  was  that  of  clearing  lands,  or  chopping 
jobs,  was  of  great  stature,  and  carried,  in  his  very  air,  the 
index  of  his  character.  He  was  a  noisy,  boisterous,  reck 
less  lad,  whose  good-natured  eye  contradicted  the  bluntness 
and  bullying  tenor  of  his  speech.  For  weeks  he  would 
lounge  around  the  taverns  of  th^  county,  in  a  state  of  per 
fect  idleness,  or  doing  small  jobs  for  his  liquor  and  his 
meals,  and  caviling  with  applicants  about  the  prices  of  his 
labor :  frequently  preferring  idleness  to  an  abatement  of  a 
tittle  of  his  independence,  or  a  cent  in  his  wages.  But 
when  these  embarrassing  points  were  satisfactorily  arranged, 
he  would  shoulder  his  axe  and  his  rifle,  slip  his  armf 
through  the  straps  of  his  pack,  and  enter  the  woods  with 
tho  tread  of  a  Hercules.  His  first  object  was  to  learn  his 
limits,  round  which  he  would  pace,  occasionally  freshening, 
with  a  blow  of  his  axe,  the  marks  on  the  boundary  trees ; 
and  then  he  would  proceed  with  an  air  of  great  delibera 
tion,  to  the  centre  of  his  premises,  and,  throwing  aside  his 
superfluous  garments,  measure,  with  a  knowing  eye,  one  or 
two  of  the  nearest  trees  that  were  towering  apparently  intu 
the  very  clouds  as  he  gazed  upwards.  Commonly  selecting 
one  of  the  most  noble  for  the  first  trial  of  his  power,  he 
would  approach  it  with  a  listless  air,  whistling  a  low  tune 


192  THE  PIONEERS. 

and  wielding  his  axe  with  a  certain  flourish,  not  anlike  th« 
salutes  of  a  fencing  master,  he  would  strike  a  light  blow 
into  the  bark,  and  measure  his  distance.  The  pause  that 
followed  was  ominous  of  the  fall  of  the  forest  winch  had 
flourished  there  for  centuries.  The  heavy  and  brisk  blows 
that  he  struck  were  soon  succeeded  by  the  thundering  re 
port  of  the  tree,  as  it  came,  first  cracking  and  threatening, 
with  the  separation  of  its  own  last  ligaments,  then  threshing 
and  tearing  with  its  branches  the  tops  of  its  surrounding 
brethren,  and  finally  meeting  the  ground  with  a  shock  but 
little  inferior  to  an  earthquake.  From  that  moment  the 
sounds  of  the  axe  were  ceaseless,  while  the  falling  of  the 
trees  was  like  a  distant  cannonading;  and  the  daylight 
broke  into  the  depths  of  the  woods  with  the  suddenness 
of  a  winter  morning. 

For  days,  weeks,  nay  months,  Billy  Kirby  would  toil 
with  an  ardor  that  evinced  his  native  spirit,  and  with  an 
effect  that  seemed  magical,  until,  his  chopping  being  ended, 
his  stentorian  lungs  could  be  heard  emitting  sounds,  as  ho 
called  to  his  patient  oxen,  which  rang  through  the  lulls 
like  the  cries  of  an  alarm.  He  had  been  often  heard,  on  a 
mild  summer's  evening,  a  long  mile  across  the  vale  of  Tem- 
pleton;  when  the  echoes  from  the  mountains  would  take 
up  his  cries,  until  they  died  away  in  feeble  sour  Is  from 
the  distant  rocks  that  overhung  the  lake.  His  piles,  or  to 
use  the  language  of  the  country,  his  logging,  ended,  with  a 
despatch  that  could  only  accompany  his  dexterity  and  Her- 
3ulean  strength,  the  jobber  would  collect  together  his  imple 
ments  of  labor,  light  the  heaps  of  timber,  and  march  away 
under  the  blaze  of  the  prostrate  forest,  like  the  conqueror 
of  some  city,  who,  having  first  prevailed  over  his  adversary, 
applies  the  torch  as  the  finishing  blow  to  his  conquest. 
For  a  long  time  Billy  Kirby  would  then  be  seen,  saunter- 
ing  around  the  taverns,  the  rider  of  scrub-races,  the  bully 
of  cock-fights,  and  not  unfrequently  the  hero  of  such  sports 
as  the  one  in  hand. 

Between  him  and  the  Leather-Stocking,  there  had  Jong 
existed  a  jealous  rivalry  on  the  point  of  skill  with  the  rifle 
Notwithstanding  the  long  practice  of  Natty,  it  was  <>om 


THE   PIONEERS.  193 

monly  supposed  that  the  steady  nerves  and  quick  eye  of 
the  wood-chopper  rendered  him  his  equal.  The  competi 
tion  had,  however,  been  confined  hitherto  to  boastings,  and 
comparisons  made  from  their  success  in  various  hunting 
excursions ;  but  this  was  the  first  time  that  they  had  ever 
come  in  open  collision.  A  good  deal  of  higgling  about  the 
price  of  the  choicest  bird  had  taken  place  between  Billy 
Kirby  and  its  owner  before  Natty  and  his  companions  re* 
joined  the  sportsmen.  It  had,  however,  been  settled  at  one 
shilling 1  a  shot,  which  was  the  highest  sum  ever  exacted, 
the  black  taking  care  to  protect  himself  from  losses  as 
much  as  possible,  by  the  conditions  of  the  sport.  The  tur 
key  was  already  fastened  at  the  "  mark,"  but  its  body  was 
entirely  hid  by  the  surrounding  snow,  nothing  being  visible 
but  its  red  swelling  head  and  its  long  neck.  If  the  bird 
was  injured  by  any  bullet  that  struck  below  the  snow,  it, 
was  to  continue  the  property  of  its  present  owner ;  but  if  a 
feather  was  touched  in  a  visible  part,  the  animal  became 
the  prize  of  the  successful  adventurer. 

These  terms  were  loudly  proclaimed  by  the  negro,  who 
was  seated  in  the  snow,  in  a  somewhat  hazardous  vicinity 
to  his  favorite  bird,  when  Elizabeth .  and  her  cousin  ap 
proached  the  noisy  sportsmen.  The  sounds  of  mirth  and 
contention  sensibly  lowered  at  this  unexpected  visit ;  but, 
after  a  moment's  pause,  the  curious  interest  exhibited  in 
the  face  of  the  young  lady,  together  with  her  smiling  air, 
restored  the  freedom  of  the  morning ;  though  it  was  some 
what  chastened,  both  in  language  and  vehemence,  by  the 
presence  of  such  a  spectator. 

"  Stand  out  of  the  way  there,  boys ! "  cried  the  wood- 
chopper,  who  was  placing  himself  at  the  shooting  point, 
u  stand  out  of  the  way,  you  little  rascals,  or  I  will  shoot 
through  you.  Now,  Brom,  take  leave  of  your  turkey.''* 

'  Stop ! "  cried  the  young  hunter ;  "  I  am  a  candidate 

1  Before  the  Revolution,  each  province  had  its  own  money  of  account 
though  neither  coined  any  but  copper  pieces.  In  New  York  the  Spanish 
dollar  was  divided  into  eight  shillings,  each  of  the  value  of  a  fraction  mow 
than  sixpence  sterling.  At  present  the  Union  has  provided  a  decimal  system 
with  coins  to  represent  it. 
13 


194  THE  PIONEERS. 

for  a  chance.     Here  is  my  shilling,  Brom  ;  I  wish  a  shot 
too." 

"  You  may  wish  it  in  welcome,"  cried  Kirby,  "  but  if  1 
ruffle  the  gobbler's  feathers,  how  are  you  to  get  it  ?  Is 
money  so  plenty  in  your  deerskin  pocket,  that  you  pay  for 
a  chance  that  you  may  never  have?"* 

"  How  know  you,  sir,  how  plenty  money  is  in  my 
pocket  ? "  said  the  youth  fiercely.  "  Here  is  my  shilling, 
Brom,  and  I  claim  a  right  to  shoot." 

"  Don't  be  crabbed,  my  boy,"  said  the  other,  who  was 
very  coolly  fixing  his  flint.  "  They  say  you  have  a  hole  in 
your  left  shoulder,  yourself:  so  I  think  Brom  may  give 
you  a  fire  for  half  price.  It  will  take  a  keen  one  to  hit 
that  bird,  I  can  tell  you,  my  lad,  even  if  I  give  you  a 
chance,  which  is  what  I  have  no  mind  to  do." 

"  Don't  be  boasting,  Billy  Kirby,"  said  Natty,  throwing 
\he  breech  of  his  rifle  into  the  snow,  and  leaning  on  its 
barrel ;  "  you'll  get  but  one  shot  at  the  creatur',  for  if  the 
lad  misses  his  aim,  which  wouldn't  be  a  wonder  if  he  did, 
with  his  arm  so  stiff  and  sore,  you'll  find  a  good  piece  and 
an  old  eye  coming  a'ter  you.  Maybe  it's  true  that  I  can't 
shoot  as  I  used  to  could,  but  a  hundred  yards  is  a  short 
distance  for  a  long  rifle." 

"What,  old  Leather-Stocking,  are  you  out  this  morn 
ing  ?  "  cried  his  reckless  opponent.  "  Well,  fair  play's  a 
jewel.  I've  the  lead  of  you,  old  fellow ;  so  here  goes  for  a 
dry  throat  or  a  good  dinner." 

The  countenance  of  the  negro  evinced  not  only  all  the 
interest  which  his  pecuniary  adventure  might  occasion,  but 
also  the  keen  excitement  that  the  sport  produced  in  the 
others,  though  with  a  very  different  wish  as  to  the  result. 
While  the  wood-chopper  was  slowly  and  steadily  raising  his 
rifle,  he  bawled,  — 

"  Fair  play,  Billy  Kirby  —  stand  back  —  make  'em  stand 
back,  boys  —  gib  a  nigger  fair  play;  poss-up,  gobbler; 
shake  a  head,  fool ;  don't  you  see  'em  taking  aim  ?  " 

These  cries,  which  were  intended  as  much  to  distract  the 
attention  of  the  marksman  as  for  anything  else,  were  fruit 
less. 


THE  PIONEERS.  195 

The  nerves  of  the  wood-chopper  were  not  so  easily 
shaken,  and  he  took  his  aim  with  the  utmost  deliberation. 
Stillness  prevailed  for  a  moment,  and  he  fired.  The  head 
of  the  turkey  was  seen  to  dash  on  one  side,  and  its  wings 
were  spread  in  momentary  fluttering ;  but  it  settled  itself 
down  calmly  into  its  bed  of  snow,  and  glanced  its  eyes  un 
easily  around.  For  a  time  long  enough  to  draw  a  deep 
breath,  not  a  sound  was  heard.  The  silence  was  then 
broken  by  the  noise  of  the  negro,  who  laughed,  and  shook 
his  body,  with  all  kinds  of  antics,  rolling  over  in  the  snow 
in  the  excess  of  delight. 

"  Well  done  a  gobbler,"  he  cried,  jumping  up  and  affect 
ing  to  embrace  his  bird ;  "  I  tell  'em  to  poss-up,  and  you 
see  'em  dodge.  Gib  anoder  shillin,  Billy,  and  hab  anoder 
shot." 

"  No  —  the  shot  is  mine,"  said  the  young  hunter ;  "  you 
have  my  money  already.  Leave  the  mark,  and  let  me  try 
my  luck." 

'» Ah !  it's  but  money  thrown  away,  lad,"  said  Leather- 
Stocking.  "  A  turkey's  head  and  neck  is  but  a  small  mark 
for  a  new  hand  and  a  lame  shoulder.  You'd  best  let  me 
take  the  fire,  and  maybe  we  can  make  some  settlement  with 
the  lady  about  the  bird." 

"  The  chance  is  mine,"  said  the  young  hunter.  "  Clear 
tiie  ground,  that  I  may  take  it." 

The  discussions  and  disputes  concerning  the  last  shot 
were  now  abating,  it  having  been  determined  that  if  the 
turkey's  head  had  been  anywhere  but  just  where  it  was  at 
the  moment,  the  bird  must  certainly  have  been  killed. 
There  was  not  much  excitement  produced  by  the  prepara 
tions  of  the  youth,  who  proceeded  in  a  hurried  manner  to 
take  his  aim,  and  was  in  the  act  of  pulling  the  trigger,  when 
he  was  stopped  by  Natty. 

"  Your  hands  shakes,  lad,"  he  said,  "  and  you  seem  ovei 
eager.  Bullet  wounds  are  apt  to  weaken  flesh,  and  to  my 
judgment,  you'll  not  shoot  so  well  as  in  common.  If  you 
will  fire,  you  should  shoot  quick,  before  there  is  time  tc 
ihake  off  the  aim." 

"  Fair  play,"  again  shouted  the  negro  ;  "  fair  play — gilr 


196  THE   PIONEERS. 

a  nigger  fair  play.  What  right  a  Nat  Bumppo  advise  a 
young  man  ?  Let  'em  shoot  —  clear  a  ground." 

The  youth  fired  with  great  rapidity,  but  no  motion  was 
made  by  the  turkey ;  arid  when  the  examiners  for  the  ball 
returned  from  the  "  mark,"  they  declared  that  he  had  missed 
the  stump. 

Elizabeth  observed  the  change  in  his  countenance,  and 
could  not  help  feeling  surprise,  that  one  so  evidently  supe 
rior  to  his  companions  should  feel  a  trifling  loss  so  sensibly. 
But  her  own  champion  was  now  preparing  to  enter  the 
lists. 

The  mirth  of  Brom,  which  had  been  again  excited, 
though  in.  a  much  smaller  degree  than  before,  by  the  fail 
ure  of  the  second  adventurer,  vanished  the  instant  Natty 
took  his  stand.  His  skin  became  mottled  with  large  brown 
spots,  that  fearfully  sullied  the  lustre  of  his  native  ebony, 
while  his  enormous  lips  gradually  compressed  around  two 
rows  of  ivory  that  had  hitherto  been  shining  in  his  visage, 
like  pearls  set  in  jet.  His  nostrils,  at  all  times  the  most 
conspicuous  features  of  his  face,  dilated,  until  they  covered 
the  greater  part  of  the  diameter  of  his  countenance ;  while 
his  brown  and  bony  hands  unconsciously  grasped  the  snow- 
crust  near  him,  the  excitement  of  the  moment  completely 
overcoming  his  native  dread  of  cold. 

While  these  indications  of  apprehension  were  exhibited 
in  the  sable  owner  of  the  turkey,  the  man  who  gave  rise  to 
this  extraordinary  emotion  was  as  calm  and  collected  as  if 
there  was  not  to  be  a  single  spectator  of  his  skill. 

"  I  was  down  in  the  Dutch  settlements  on  the  Schoha- 
rie,"  said  Natty,  carefully  removing  the  leather  guard  from 
the  lock  of  his  rifle,  "just  before  the  breaking  out  of  the 
last  war,  and  there  was  a  shooting-match  among  the  boys ; 
so  I  took  a  hand.  I  think  I  opened  a  good  many  Dutch 
eyes  that  day  ;  for  I  won  the  powder-horn,  thres  bars  of 
lead,  and  a  pound  of  as  good  powder  as  ever  flashed  in  pan. 
Lord !  how  they  did  swear  in  Garman  !  They  did  tell  me 
of  one  drunken  Dutchman  who  said  he'd  have  the  life  of 
ma  before  I  got  buck  to  the  lake  ag'in.  But  if  he  had  put 
his  rifle  to  his  shoulder  with  evil  intent,  God  would  have 


THE  PIONEERS.  197 

punished  him  foi  it ;  and  even  if  the  Lord  didn't,  and  he 
had  missed  his  aim,  I  know  one  that  would  have  given  him 
as  good  as  he  sent,  and  better  too,  if  good  shooting  could 
come  into  the  'count." 

By  this  time  the  old  hunter  was  ready  for  his  business, 
and  throwing  his  right  leg  far  behind  him,  and  stretching  his 
left  arm  along  the  barrel  of  his  pieCe,  he  raised  it  towards 
the  bird.  Every  eye  glanced  rapidly  from  the  marksman  to 
the  mark ;  but  at  the  moment  when  each  ear  was  expecting 
the  report  of  the  rifle,  they  were  disappointed  by  the  ticking 
sound  of  the  flint. 

"  A  snap,  a  snap  ! "  shouted  the  negro,  springing  from 
his  crouching  posture  like  a  madman,  before  his  bird.  "  A 
snap  good  as  fire  —  Natty  Bumppo  gun  he  snap  —  Natty 
Bumppo  miss  a  turkey  !•" 

"  Natty  Bumppo  hit  a  nigger,"  said  the  indignant  old 
hunter,  "  if  you  don't  get  out  of  the  way,  Brom.  It's  con 
trary  to  the  reason  of  the  thing,  boy,  that  a  snap  should 
count  for  a  fire,  when  one  is  nothing  more  than  a  fire-stone 
striking  a  steel  pan,  and  the  other  is  sudden  death ;  so  get 
out  of  my  way,  boy,  and  let  me  show  Billy  Kirby  how  to 
shoot  a  Christmas  turkey." 

"  Gib  a  nigger  fair  play  !  "  cried  the  black,  who  con- 
tinned  resolutely  to  maintain  his  post,  and  making  that  ap 
peal  to  the  justice  of  his  auditors,  which  the  degraded  con 
dition  of  his  caste  so  naturally  suggested.  "  Eberybody 
know  dat  snap  as  good  as  fire.  Leab  it  to  Massa  Jone  -— 
leab  it  to  lady." 

"  Sartain,"  said  the  wood-chopper ;  "  it's  the  law  of  the 
game  in  this  part  of  the  country,  Leather-Stocking.  If  you 
fire  ag'in  you  must  pay  up  the  other  shilling.  I  b'lieve  Til 
try  luck  once  more  myself;  so,  Brom,  here's  my  money, 
and  I  take  the  next  fire." 

"  It's  likely  you  know  the  laws  of  the  woods  better  than 
I  do,  Billy  Kirby,"  returned  Natty.  "  You  come  in  with 
ike  settlers,  with  an  ox-goad  in  your  hand,  and  I  come  in 
with  moccasins  on  my  feet,  and  with  a  good  rifle  on  ray 
shoulders,  so  long  back  as  afore  the  old  war.  Which  la 
likely  to  know  the  best  ?  I  say  no  man  need  tell  me  thai 
mapping  is  as  good  as  firing  when  I  pull  the  trigger." 


198  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  Leab  it  to  Massa  Jone,"  said  the  alarmed  negro  ;  "  be 
know  eberyting." 

This  appeal  to  the  knowledge  of  Richard  was  too  flatter 
ing  to  be  unheeded.  He  therefore  advanced  a  little  from 
the  spot  whither  the  delicacy  of  Elizabeth  had  induced  her 
to  withdraw,  and  gave  .the  following  opinion,  with  the 
gravity  that  the  subjeetrand  his  own  rank  demanded  :  — 

"  There  seems  to  be  a  difference  in  opinion,"  he  said,  "on 
the  subject  of  Nathaniel  Bumppo's  right  to  shoot  at  Abra 
ham  Freeborn's  turkey,  without  the  said  Nathaniel  paying 
one  shilling  for  the  privilege."  This  fact  was  too  evident  to 
be  denied,  and  after  pausing  a  moment,  that  the  audience 
might  digest  his  premises,  Richard  proceeded.  "  It  seems 
proper  that  I  should  decide  this  question,  as  I  am  bound  to 
preserve  the  peace  of  the  county ;  and  men  with  deadly 
weapons  in  their  hands  should  not  be  heedlessly  left  to  con 
tention,  and  their  own  malignant  passions.  It  appears  that 
there  was  no  agreement,  either  in  writing  or  in  words,  on 
the  disputed  point ;  therefore  we  must  reason  from  analogy, 
which  is,  as  it  were,  comparing  one  thing  with  another. 
Now,  in  duels,  where  both  parties  shoot,  it  is  generally  the 
rule  that  a  snap  is  a  fire  ;  and  if  such  is  the  rule,  where  the 
party  has  a  right  to  fire  back  again,  it  seems  to  me  unrea 
sonable  to  say,  that  a  man  may  stand  snapping  at  a  defense 
less  turkey  all  day.  I  therefore  am  of  opinion  that  Nathaniel 
Bumppo  has  lost  his  chance,  and  must  pay  another  shilling 
before  he  renews  his  right." 

As  this  opinion  came  from  so  high  a  quarter,  and  was  » 
delivered   with   effect,  it    silenced    all  murmurs  —  for  the 
whole  of  the  spectators  had  begun  to  take  sides  with  great 
warmth,  —  except  from  the  Leather-Stocking  himself. 

"  I  think  Miss  Elizabeth's  thoughts  should  be  taken,'1 
*aid  Natty.  "  I've  known  the  squaws  give  very  good  coun 
sel  when  the  Indians  have  been  dumfounded.  If  she  saya 
that  I  ought  to  lose,  I  agree  to  give  it  up." 

"  Then  I  adjudge  you  to  be  a  loser  for  this  time,"  said 
Miss  Temple ;  "  but  pay  your  money  and  renew  your 
chance  ;  unless  Brom  will  sell  me  the  bird  for  a  dollar.  I 
»rill  give  him  the  money,  and  save  the  life  of  the  poor  vio- 
tim." 


THE  PIONEERS.  19& 

This  proposition  ;vas  evidently  but  little  relished  by  any 
of  the  listeners,  even  the  negro  feeling  the  evil  excitement 
of  the  chances.  In  the  mean  while,  as  Billy  Kirby  was  pre 
paring  himself  for  another  shot,  Natty  left  the  stand,  with 
an  extremely  dissatisfied  manner,  muttering,  — 

"  There  hasn't  been  such  a  thing  as  a  good  flint  sold  at 
the  foot  of  the  lake  since  the  Indian  traders  used  to  como 
into  the  country  ;  and  if  a  body  should  go  into  the  flats 
along  the  streams  in  the  hills  to  hunt  for  such  a  thing,  it's 
ten  to  one  but  they  will  be  all  covered  up  with  the  plough. 
Heigho !  it  seems  to  me  that  just  as  the  game  grows  scarce, 
and  a  body  wants  the  best  ammunition  to  get  a  livelihood, 
everything  that's  bad  falls  on  him,  like  a  judgment.  But 
I'll  change  the  stone,  for  Billy  Kirby  hasn't  the  eye  for 
such  a  mark,  I  know." 

The  wood-chopper  seemed  now  entirely  sensible  that  his 
reputation  depended  on  his  care  ;  nor  did  he  neglect  any 
means  to  insure  success,  lie  drew  up  his  rifle,  and  renewed 
his  aim  again  and  again,  still  appearing  reluctant  to  fire. 
No  sound  was  heard  from  even  Brom,  during  these  portent- 
uous  movements,  until  Kirby  discharged  his  piece,  with  the 
Bame  want  of  success  as  before.  Then,  indeed,  the  shouts 
of  the  negro  rang  through  the  bushes,  and  sounded  among 
the  trees  of  the  neighboring  forest  like  the  outcries  of  a 
tribe  of  Indians.  He  laughed,  rolling  his  head  first  on  one 
side,  then  on  the  other,  until  nature  seemed  exhausted  witb 
mirth.  He  danced  until  his  legs  were  wearied  with  motion, 
in  the  snow ;  and,  in  short,  he  exhibited  all  that  violence  of 
joy  that  characterizes  the  mirth  of  a  thoughtless  negro. 

The  wood-chopper  had  exerted  all  his  art,  and  felt  a  pro 
portionate  degree  of  disappointment  at  the  failure.  He  first 
examined  the  bird  with. the  utmost  attention,  and  more  than 
once  suggested  that  he  had  touched  its  feathers  ;  but  the 
voice  of  the  multitude  was  against  him,  for  it  felt  disposed 
to  listen  to  the  often  repeated  cries  of  the  black,  to  "  Gib  a 
uigger  fair  play.*' 

Finding  it  impossible  to  make  out  a  title  to  the  bird, 
Kirby  turned  fiercely  to  the  black,  and  said,  — 

"  Shut  your  oven,  you  crow !     Wheie  is  the  man  thai 


200  THE  PIONEERS. 

can  hit  a  turkey's  head  at  a  hundred  yards  r  I  was  a  foo) 
for  trying.  You  needn't  make  an  uproar,  like  a  falling  pine- 
tree,  about  it.  Show  me  the  man  who  can  do  it." 

"  Look  this-away,  Billy  Kirby,"  said  Leather-Stocking, 
•*  and  let  them  clear  the  mark,  and  I'll  show  you  a  man 
who's  made  better  shots  afore  now,  and  that  when  he's  been 
hard  pressed  by  the  savages  and  wild  beasts." 

"  Perhaps  there  is  one  whose  rights  come  before  ours, 
Leather-Stocking,"  said  Miss  Temple  ;  "  if  so,  we  will  waive 
our  privilege." 

"  If  it  be  me  that  you  have  reference  to,"  said  the  young 
hunter,  "  I  shall  decline  another  chance.  My  shoulder  id 
yet  weak,  I  find." 

Elizabeth  regarded  his  manner,  and  thought  that  she 
could  discern  a  tinge  on  his  cheek  that  spoke  the  shame  of 
conscious  poverty.  She  said  no  more,  but  suffered  her  own 
champion  to  make  a  trial.  Although  Natty  Burnppo  had 
certainly  made  hundreds  of  more  momentous  shots  at  his 
enemies  or  his  game,  yet  he  never  exerted  himself  more  to 
excel.  He  raised  his  piece  three  several  times  ;  once  to  get 
his  range  ;  once  to  calculate  his  distance  ;  and  once  because 
the  bird,  alarmed  by  the  death-like  stillness,  turned  its  head 
quickly  to  examine  its  foes.  But  the  fourth  time  he  fired. 
The  smoke,  the  report,  and  the  momentary  shock,  prevented 
most  of  the  spectators  from  instantly  knowing  the  result ; 
but  Elizabeth,  when  she  saw  her  champion  drop  the  end  of 
his  rifle  in  the  snow  and  open  his  mouth  in  one  of  its  silent 
laughs,  and  then  proceed  very  coolly  to  recharge  his  piece, 
knew  that  he  had  been  successful.  The  boys  rushed  to  the 
mark,  and  lifted  t^e  turkey  on  high,  lifeless,  and  with  noth 
ing  but  the  remnant  of  a  head. 

"  Bring  in  the  creatur',"  said  Leather-Stocking,  "  and  put 
it  at  the  feet  of  the  lady.  I  was  her  deputy  in  the  matter, 
and  the  bird  is  her  property." 

"And  a  good  deputy  you  have  proved  yourself,"  returned 
Elizabeth ;  "  so  good,  cousin  Richard,  that  I  would  advise 
you  to  remember  his  qualities."  She  paused,  and  the  gayety 
that  beamed  on  her  face  gave  place  to  a  more  serious  ear- 
neatness.  She  even  blushed  a  little  as  she  turned  to  the 


THE  PIONEERS.  201 

young  hunter,  and,  with  the  charm  of  a  woman's  manner, 
added,  "  But  it  was  only  to  see  an  exliibition  of  the  far- 
famed  skill  of  Leather-Stocking,  that  I  tried  my  fortunes. 
Will  you,  sir,  accept  the  bird  as  a  small  peace-offering  for 
the  hurt  that  prevented  your  own  success  ?  " 

The  expression  with  which  the  youth  received  this  present 
was  indescribable.  He  appeared  to  yield  to  the  blandish 
ment  of  her  air,  in  opposition  to  a  strong  inward  impulse  to 
the  contrary.  He  bowed,  and  raised  the  victim  silently 
from  her  feet,  but  continued  silent. 

•  Elizabeth  handed  the  black  a  piece  of  silver  as  a  remu 
neration,  for  his  loss,  which  had  some  effect  in  again  unbend 
ing  his  muscles,  and  then  expressed  to  her  companion  her 
readiness  to  return  homeward. 

"  Wait  a  minute,  cousin  Bess,"  cried  Richard ;  "  there  is 
an  uncertainty  about  the  rules  of  this  sport  that  it  is  proper 
I  should  remove.  If  you  will  appoint  a  committee,  gentle 
men,  to  wait  on  me  this  morning,  I  will  draw  up  in  writing 
a  set  of  regulations  "  —  he  stopped,  with  some  indignation, 
for  at  that  instant  a  hand  was  laid  familiarly  on  the  shoulder 
of  the  High  Sheriff  of- 

"  A  Merry  Christmas  to  you,  cousin  Dickon,"  said  Judge 
Temple,  who  had  approached  the  party  unperceived:  "I 
must*  have  a  vigilant  eye  to  my  daughter,  sir,  if  you  are  to 
be  seized  daily  with  these  gallant  fits.  I  admire  the  taste 
which  would  introduce  a  lady  to  such  scenes ! " 

"It  is  her  own  perversity,  'Duke,"  cried  the  disappointed 
Sheriff,  who  felt  the  loss  of  the  first  salutation  as  grievously 
as  many  a  man  would  a  much  greater  misfortune ;  "  and  I 
must  say  that  she  comes  honestly  by  it.  I  led  her  out  to 
show  her  the  improvements,  but  away  she  scampered, 
through  the  snow,  at  the  first  sound  of  fire-arms,  the  same 
as  if  she  had  been  brought  up  in  a  camp,  instead  of  a  first 
rate  boarding-school.  I  do  think,  Judge  Temple,  that  such 
dangerous  amusements  should  be  suppressed  by  statute; 
nay,  I  doubt  whether  they  are  not  already  indictable  at 
common  law." 

"  Well,  sir,  as  you  are  Sheriff  of  the  county,  it  becomes 
rour  duty  to  examine  into  the  matter,"  returned  the  smiling 


202  THE  PIONEERS. 

Marmaduke.  "  I  perceive  that  Bess  lias  executed  her  com 
mission,  and  I  hope  it  met  with  a  favorable  reception." 
Richard  glanced  his  eye  at  the  packet  which  he  held  in 
his  hand,  and  the  slight  anger  produced  by  disappointment 
mushed  instantly. 

"  Ah  !  'Duke,  my  dear  cousin,"  he  said,  u  step  a  little  on 
one  side;  I  have  something  I  would  say  to  you."  Marma 
duke  complied,  and  the  Sheriff  led  him  to  a  little  distance 
in  the  bushes,  and  continued :  "  First,  'Duke,  let  me  thank 
you  for  your  friendly  interest  with  the  Council  arid  the 
Governor,  without  which,  I  am  confident  that  the  greatest 
merit  would  avail  but  little.  But  we  are  sisters'  children  — 
we  are  sisters'  children ;  and  you  may  use  me  like  one  of 
your  horses ;  ride  me  or  drive  me,  'Duke,  I  am  wholly 
yours.  But  in  my  humble  opinion,  this  young  companion 
of  Leather-Stocking  requires  looking  after.  He  has  a  very 
dangerous  propensity  for  turkey." 

"  Leave  him  to  my  management,  Dickon,"  said  the  Judge, 
"  and  I  will  cure  his  appetite  by  indulgence.  It  is  with  bin 
that  1  would  speak.  Let  us  rejoin  the  sportsmen." 


THE  PIONEEKS.  205 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Poor  wretch  !  the  mother  that  him 
If  ghe  had  been  in  presence  there, 
In  his  wan  face,  and  sunburnt  hair, 
She  had  not  known  her  child. 

SCOTT. 

Ir  diminished,  in  no  degree,  the  effect  produced  by  the 
conversation  which  passed  between  Judge  Temple  and  the 
young  hunter,  that  the  former  took  the  arm  of  his  daughter 
and  drew  it  through  his  own,  when  he  advanced  from  the 
spot  whither  Richard  had  led  him  to  that  where  the  youth 
was  standing,  leaning  on  his  rifle,  arid  contemplating  the 
dead  bird  at  his  feet.  The  presence  of  Marmaduke  did  not 
interrupt  the  sports,  which  were  resumed,  by  loud  and 
clamorous  disputes  concerning  the  conditions  of  a  chance 
that  involved  the  life  of  a  bird  of  much  inferior  quality  to 
the  last.  Leather-Stocking  and  Mohegan  had  alone  drawn 
aside  to  their  youthful  companion  ;  and,  although  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  such  a  throng,  the  following  conver 
sation  was  heard  only  by  those  who  were  interested  in  it. 

"I  have  greatly  injured  you,  Mr.  Edwards,"  said  the 
Judge ;  but  the  sudden  and  inexplicable  start,  with  which 
the  person  spoken  to  received  this  unexpected  address, 
caused  him  to  pause  a  moment.  As  no  answer  was  given, 
and  the  strong  emotion  exhibited  in  the  countenance  of  the 
youth  gradually  passed  away,  he  continued,  "  But,  for 
tunately,  it  is  in  some  measure  in  my  power  to  compensate 
you  for  what  I  have  done.  My  kinsman,  Richard  Jones, 
has  received  an  appointment  that  will,  in  future,  deprive 
me  of  his  assistance,  and  leaves  me,  just  now.  destitute  of 
one  who  might  greatly  aid  me  with  his  pen.  Your  manner, 
notwithstanding  appearances,  is  a  sufficient  proof  of  your 
education,  nor  will  thy  snoulder  suffer  thee  to  labor,  for 


204  THE   PIONEERS. 

some  time  to  come."  (Marmaduke  insensibly  relapsed  into 
the  language  of  the  Friends  as  he  grew  warm.)  "  My 
doors  are  open  to  thee,  my  young  friend,  for  in  this  infant 
country  we  harbor  no  suspicions :  little  offering  to  tempt 
the  cupidity  of  the  evil  disposed.  Become  my  assistant, 
for  at  least  a  season,  and  receive  such  compensation  as  thy 
services  will  deserve." 

There  was  nothing  in  the  manner  or  the  offer  of   the 

• 

Judge  to  justify  the  reluctance,  amounting  nearly  to  loath 
ing,,  with  which  the  youth  listened  to  his  speech:  but  after 
a  powerful  effort  for  self-command,  he  replied  :  — 

"  I  would  serve  you,  sir,  or  any  other  man,  for  an  honest 
support,  for  I  do  not  affect  to  conceal  that  my  necessitiee 
are  very  great,  even  beyond  what  appearances  would  indi 
cate  ;  but  I  am  fearful  that  such  new  duties  would  interfere 
too  much  with  more  important  business :  so  that  I  must 
decline  your  offer,  and  depend  on  my  rifle,  as  before,  for 
subsistence." 

Richard  here  took  occasion  to  whisper  to  the  young  lady, 
who  had  shrunk  a  little  from  the  foreground  of  the  pic 
ture  :  — 

"  This,  you  see,  cousin  Bess,  is  the  natural  reluctance  of 
a  half-breed  to  leave  the  savage  state.  Their  attachment 
to  a  wandering  life  is,  I  verily  believe,  unconquerable." 

"  It  is  a  precarious  life,"  observed  Marmaduke,  without 
hearing  the  Sheriff's  observation,  "  and  one  that  brings  more 
evils  with  it  than  present  suffering.  Trust  me,  young  friend,  t 
my  experience  is  greater  than  thine,  when  I  tell  thee,  that 
the  unsettled  life  of  these  hunters  is  of  vast  disadvantage 
for  temporal  purposes,  and  it  totally  removes  one  from  the 
influence  of  more  sacred  things." 

"  No,  no,  Judge,"  interrupted  the  Leather-Stocking,  who 
was  hitherto  unseen,  or  disregarded  ;  "  take  him  into  your 
shanty  in  welcome,  but  tell  him  truth.  I  have  lived  in  the 
woods  for  forty  long  years,  and  have  spent  five  at  a  time 
without  seeing  the  light  of  a  clearing  bigger  than  a  wind 
row  in  the  trees ;  and  I  should  like  to  know  where  you'll 
find  a  man,  in  his  sixty-eighth  year,  who  can  get  an  easier 
living,  for  all  your  betterments  arid  your  deer-laws  :  and,  ai 


THE  PIONEERS.  205 

foi  honesty,  or  doing  what's  right  between  man  and  man, 
I'L  not  turn  my  back  to  the  longest  winded  deacon  on  your 
Patent." 

"  Thou  art  an  exception,  Leather-Stocking,"  returned  the 
Judge,  nodding  good-naturedly  at  the  hunter;  "for  thou 
hast  a  temperance  unusual  in  thy  class,  and  a  hardihood 
exceeding  thy  years.  But  this  youth  is  made  of  materials 
too  precious  to  be  wasted  in  the  forest.  I  entreat  thee  to 
join  my  family,  if  it  be  but  till  thy  arm  be  healed.  My 
daughter  here,  who  is  mistress  of  my  dwelling,  will  tell  thee 
that  thou  art  welcome." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Elizabeth,  whose  earnestness  was  a 
little  checked  by  female  reserve.  "  The  unfortunate  would 
be  welcome  at  any  time,  but  doubly  so  when  we  feel  that 
we  have  occasioned  the  evil  ourselves." 

"  Yes,"  said  Richard,  "  and  if  you  relish  turkey,  young 
man,  there  are  plenty  in  the  coops,  and  of  the  best  kind,  I 
•can  assure  you." 

Finding  himself  thus  ably  seconded,  Marmaduke  pushed 
his  advantage  to  the  utmost.  He  entered  into  a  detail  of 
the  duties  that  would  attend  the  situation,  and  circum 
stantially  mentioned  the  reward,  and  all  those  points  which 
are  deemed  of  importance  among  men  of  business.  The 
youth  listened  in  extreme  agitation.  There  was  an  evident 
contest  in  his  feelings ;  at  times  he  appeared  to  wish 
eagerly  for  the  change,  and  then  again  the  incomprehen 
sible  expression  of  disgust  would  cross  his  features,  like  a 
dark  cloud  obscuring  a  noonday  sun. 

The  Indian,  in  whose  manner  the  depression  of  self- 
abasement  was  most  powerfully  exhibited,  listened  to  the 
offers  of  the  Judge  with  an  interest  that  increased  with  each 
syllable.  Gradually  he  drew  nigher  to  the  group  ;  and  when, 
with  his  keen  glance,  he  detected  the  most  marked  evidence 
of  yielding  in  the  countenance  of  his  young  companion,  he 
changed  at  once  from  his  attitude  and  look  of  shame  to  the 
front  of  an  Indian  warrior,  and  moving,  with  great  dignity 
closer  to  the  parties,  ne  spoke :  — 

"  Listen  to  your  Father,"  he  said ;  "  his  words  are  old 
Let  the  Young  Eagle  and  the  Great  Land  Chief  eat  to 


206  THE   PIONEERS. 

gcther  ;  let  them  sleep,  without  fear,  near  each  other.  The 
children  of  Miquon  love  not  blood ;  they  are  just,  and  will 
do  right  The  sun  must  rise  and  set  often,  before  men  can 
make  one  family  ;  it  is  not  the  work  of  a  day,  but  of  many 
winters.  The  Mingos  and  the  Delawares  are  born  enemies ; 
(heir  blood  can  never  mix  in  the  wigwam  :  it  never  will 
run  in  the  same  stream  in  the  battle.  What  makes  the 
brother  of  Miquon  and  the  Young  Eagle  foes  ?  They  are 
of  the  same  tribe :  their  fathers  and  mothers  are  one. 
Learn  to  wait,  my  sort :  you  are  a  Delaware,  and  an  Indian 
warrior  knows  how  to  be  patient." 

This  figurative  address  seemed  to  have  great  weight 
with  the  young  man,  who  gradually  yielded  to  the  represen 
tations  of  Marmaduke,  and  eventually  consented  to  his  pro 
posal.  It  was,  however,  to  be  an  experiment  only  ;  and  if 
either  of  the  parties  thought  fit  to  rescind  the  engagement, 
it  was  left  at  his  option  so  to  do.  The  remarkable  and 
ill-concealed  reluctance  of  the  youth  to  accept  of  an  offer,' 
which  most  men  in  his  situation  would  consider  as  an  un 
hoped-for  elevation,  occasioned  no  little  surprise  in  those  to 
whom  he  was  a  stranger  ;  and  it  left  a  slight  impression  to 
his  disadvantage.  When  the  parties  separated,  they  very 
naturally  made  the  subject  the  topic  of  a  conversation, 
which  we  shall  relate  ;  first  commencing  with  the  Judge, 
his  daughter,  and  Richard,  who  were  slowly  pursuing  the 
way  back  to  the  Mansion-house. 

"I  have  surely  endeavored  to  remember  the  holy  man 
dates  of  our  Redeemer,  when  He  bids  us  '  Love  them  who 
despitefully  use  vou,'  in  my  intercourse  with  this  incom 
prehensible  boy,"  said  Marmaduke.  "  I  know  not  what 
there  is  in  my  dwelling  to  frighten  a  lad  of  his  years,  unless 
it  may  be  thy  presence  and  visage,  Bess." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Richard,  with  great  simplicity  ;  "  it  is  not 
cousin  Bess.  But  when  did  you  ever  know  a  half-breed, 
'Duke,  who  could  bear  civilization  ?  For  that  matter,  they 
are  wo»  se  than  the  savages  themselves  ?  Did  you  notice 
how  kr.ock-kneed  he  stood,  Elizabeth,  and  what  a  wild  look 
he  had  in  his  eyes  ?  " 

"I  heeded  not  his  eyes,  nor  his  knees,  which  would  b« 


THE  PIONEERS.  207 

all  tho  better  for  a  little  humbling.  Really,  my  dear  sir,  I 
think  you  did  exercise  the  Christian  virtue  of  patience  to 
the  utmost.  I  was  disgusted  with  his  airs,  long  before  he 
consented  to  make  one  of  our  family.  Truly,  we  are  much 
honored  by  the  association !  In  what  apartment  is  he  to 
be  placed,  sir ;  and  at  what  table  is  he  to  receive  his  nectar 
and  ambrosia?" 

"  With  Benjamin  and  Remarkable,"  interrupted  Mr. 
Jones  ;  "  you  surely  would  not  make  the  youth  eat  with  the 
blacks  !  He  is  part  Indian,  it  is  true  ;  but  the  natives  hold 
the  negroes  in  great  contempt.  No,  no ;  he  would  siarve 
before  he  would  break  a  crust  with  the  negroes." 

"  I  am  but  too  happy,  Dickon,  to  tempt  him  to  eat  with 
ourselves,"  said  Marmaduke,  "  to  think  of  offering  even  the 
indignity  you  propose." 

"  Then,  sir,"  said  Elizabeth,  with  an  air  that  was  slightly 
affected,  as  if  submitting  to  her  father's  orders  in  opposition 
to  her  own  will,  "  it  is  your  pleasure  that  he  be  a  gentle 
man." 

"  Certainly  ;  he  is  to  fill  the  station  of  one.  Let  him  re 
ceive  the  treatment  that  is  due  to  his  place,  until  we  find 
him  unworthy  of  it." 

"  Well,  well,  'Duke,"  cried  the  Sheriff,  "  you  will  find  it 
no  easy  matter  to  make  a  gentleman  of  him.  The  old  prov 
erb  says  that '  It  takes  three  generations  to  make  a  gentle 
man.'  There  was  my  father,  whom  everybody  knew ;  my 
grandfather  was  an  M.  D.,  and  his  father  a  D.  D. ;  and  his 
father  came  from  England.  I  never  could  come  at  the  truth 
>>f  his  origin  ;  but  he  was  either  a  great  merchant  in  London, 
or  a  great  country  lawyer,  or  the  youngest  son  of  a  bishop.** 

"  Here  is  a  true  American  genealogy  for  you,"  said  Mar- 
maduke,  laughing.  "  It  does  very  well  till  you  get  across 
lie  water,  where,  as  everything  is  obscure,  it  is  certain  to 
deal  in  the  superlative.  You  are  sure  that  your  English 
progenitor  was  great,  Dickon,  whatever  his  profession  might 
have  been  ?  " 

"  To.be  sure  I  am,"  returned  the  other.  "  I  have  heard 
my  old  aunt  talk  of  him  by  the  month.  We  are  of  a  good 
family,  Judge  Temple,  and  have  never  filled  any  but  honor- 
able  stations  in  life." 


208  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  I  marvel  that  you  should  be  satisfied  with  so  scanty  a 
provision  of  gentility  in  the  olden  time,  Dickon.  Most  of 
the  American  genealogists  commence  their  traditions,  like 
the  stories  for  children,  with  three  brothers,  taking  especial 
care  that  one  of  the  triumvirate  shall  be  the  progenitor  of 
any  of  the  same  name  who  may  happen  to  be  better  furnished 
\\  ith  worldly  gear  than  themselves.  But  here  all  are  equal 
wl:3  know  how  to  conduct  themselves  with  propriety ;  and 
Oliver  Edwards  comes  into  my  family  on  a  footing  with  both 
the  High  Sheriff  and  the  Judge." 

"  Well,  'Duke,  I  call  this  democracy,  not  republicanism ; 
but  I  say  nothing  ;  only  let  him  keep  within  the  law,  or  I 
shall  show  him  that  the  freedom  of  even  this  country  is 
under  wholesome  restraint." 

"  Surely,  Dickon,  you  will  not  execute  till  I  condemn ! 
But  what  says  Bess  to  the  new  inmate  ?  We  must  pay  a 
deference  to  the  ladies  in  this  matter,  after  all." 

"  O,  sir  !  "  returned  Elizabeth,  "  I  believe  I  am  much  like 
a  certain  Judge  Temple  in  this  particular  —  not  easily  to  be 
turned  from  my  opinion.  But,  to  be  serious,  although  I  must 
think  the  introduction  of  a  demi-savage  into  the  family  a 
somewhat  startling  event,  whomsoever  you  think  proper  to 
countenance  may  be  sure  of  my  respect." 

The  Judge  drew  her  arm  more  closely  in  his  own  and 
smiled,  while  Richard  led  the  way  through  the  gate  of  the 
little  court-yard  in  the  rear  of  the  dwelling,  dealing  out  hia 
ambiguous  warnings  with  his  accustomed  loquacity. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  foresters  —  for  the  three  hunters, 
notwithstanding  their  difference  in  character,  well  deserved 
this  common  name  —  pursued  their  course  along  the  skirts 
of  the  village  in  silence.  It  was  not  until  they  had  reached 
the  lake,  and  were  moving  over  its  frozen  surface  towards 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  where  the  hut  stood,  that  the  youth 
exclaimed,  — 

"  Who  could  have  foreseen  this  a  month  since  !  I  have 
consented  to  serve  Marmaduke  Temple,  —  to  be  an  inmate 
in  the  dwelling  of  the  greatest  enemy  of  ray  race  ;  yet  what 
better  could  I  do  ?  The  servitude  cannot  be  long  ;  and  when 
ilhe  motive  for  submitting  to  it  ceases  to  exist.  I  will  shake 
It  otf,  like  the  dust  from  mv  feet." 


THE  PIONEERS.  209 

*  Is  he  a  Mingo,  that  you  will  call  him  enemy  ?  "  said 
Mohegan.  "  The  Delaware  warrior  sits  still,  and  waits  the 
time  of  the  Great  Spirit.  He  is  no  woman,  to  cry  out  like 
a  child." 

"Well,  I'm  mistrustful,  John,"  said  Leather-Stocking,  in 
whose  air  there  had  been,  during  the  whole  business,  a  strong 
expression  of  doubt  and  uncertainty.  "  They  say  that  there's 
new  laws  in  the  land,  and  I  am  sartain  that  there's  new 
ways  in  the  mountains.  One  hardly  knows  the  lakes  and 
streams,  they've  altered  the  country  so  much.  I  must  say 
I'm  mistrustful  of  such  smooth  speakers;  for  I've  known 
the  whites  talk  fair  when  they  wanted  the  Indian  lands  most. 
This  I  will  say,  though  I'm  white  myself,  and  was  born  nigh 
York,  and  of  honest  parents,  too." 

"  I  will  submit,"  said  the  youth  ;  "  I  will  forget  who  I  am. 
Cease  to  remember,  old  Mohegan,  that  I  am  the  descendant 
of  a  Delaware  chief,  who  once  was  master  of  these  noble 
hills,  these  beautiful  vales,  and  of  this  water  over  which  we 
tread.  Yes,  yes ;  I  will  become  his  bondsman  —  his  slave. 
Is  it  not  an  honorable  servitude,  old  man  ?  " 

"  Old  man  !  "  repeated  the  Indian,  solemnly,  and  pausing 
hi  his  walk,  as  usual,  when  much  excited :  "  yes ;  John  is 
old.  Son  of  my  brother !  if  Mohegan  was  young,  when 
would  his  rifle  be  still  ?  Where  would  the  deer  hide,  and 
he  not  find  him?  But  John  is  old  ;  his  hand  is  the  hand  of 
a  squaw ;  his  tomahawk  is  a  hatchet  ;  brooms  and  baskets 
are  his  enemies  —  he  strikes  no  other.  Hunger  and  old  age 
come  together.  See,  Hawkeye !  when  young,  he  would  go 
days  and  eat  nothing :  but  should  he  not  put  the  brush  on 
the  fire  now,  the  blaze  would  go  out.  Take  the  son  of 
Miquon  by  the  hand,  and  he  will  help  you." 

"  I'm  not  the  man  I  was,  I'll  own,  Chingachgook,"  returned 
the  Leather-Stocking ;  "  but  I  can  go  without  a  meal  now, 
on  occasion.  When  we  tracked  the  Iroquois  through  the 
'  Beech  woods,'  they  drove  the  game  afore  them,  for  I  hadn't 
a  morsel  to  eat  from  Monday  morning  come  Wednesday  sun 
down  ;  and  then  I  shot  as  fat  a  buck,  on  the  Pcnusylvany 
line,  as  ever  mortal  laid  eyes  on  It  \vould  have  done  your 
*ieart  good  to  have  seen  the  Delaware  eat ;  for  I  was  our 
14 


210  THE  PIONEERS. 

scouting  and  skrimmaging  with  their  tribe  at  the  time.  Lord 
the  Indians,  lad,  lay  still,  and  just  waited  till  Providence 
should  send  them  their  game  ;  but  I  foraged  about,  and  put 
a  deer  up,  and  put  him  down  too,  afore  he  had  made  a  dozen 
jumps.  I  was  too  weak  and  too  ravenous  to  stop  for  his 
flesh  ;  so  I  took  a  good  drink  of  his  blood,  and  the  Indians 
ate  of  his  meat  raw.  John  was  there,  and  John  knows 
But  then  starvation  would  be  apt  to  be  too  much  for  me 
now,  1  will  own,  though  I'm  no  great  eater  at  any  time." 

"  Enough  is  said,  my  friends,"  cried  the  youth.  "  I  feel 
that  everywhere  the  sacrifice  is  required  at  my  hands,  and  it 
shall  be  made  ;  but  say  no  more,  I  entreat  you  ;  I  cannot 
bear  this  subject  now." 

His  companions  were  silent;  and  they  soon  reached  the 
hut,  which  they  entered,  after  removing  certain  complicated 
and  ingenious  fastenings,  that  were  put  there  apparently  to 
guard  a  property  of  but  very  little  value.  Immense  piles  of 
snow  lay  against  the  log  walls  of  this  secluded  habitation,  on 
one  side  ;  while  fragments  of  small  trees,  and  branches  of 
oak  and  chestnut,  that  had  been  torn  from  their  parent  stems 
by  the  winds,  were  thrown  into  a  pile,  on  the  other.  A 
small  column  of  smoke  rose  through  a  chimney  of  sticks, 
cemented  with  clay,  along  the  side  of  the  rock ;  and  had 
marked  the  snow  above  with  its  dark  tinges,  in  a  wavy  line, 
from  the  point  of  emission  to  another,  where  the  hill  re 
ceded  from  the  brow  of  a  precipice,  and  held  a  soil  that 
nourished  trees  of  a  gigantic  growth,  that  overhung  the  little 
bottom  beneath. 

The  remainder  of  the  day  passed  off  as  such  days  are 
commonly  spent  in  a  new  country.  The  settlers  thronged 
to  the  academy  again,  to  witness  the  second  effort  of  Air. 
Grant ;  and  Mohegan  was  one  of  his  hearers.  But,  notwith 
standing  the  divine  fixed  his  eyes  intently  on  the  Indian, 
when  he  invited  his  congregation  to  advance  to  the  table, 
the  shame  of  last  night's  abasement  was  yet  too  keen  in  the 
old  chief  to  suffer  him  to  move. 

When  the  people  were  dispersing,  the  clouds,  that  had 
been  gathering  all  the  morning,  were  dense  and  dirty  ;  and 
before  half  of  the  curious  congregation  had  reached  theii 


THE  PIONEERS.  211 

different  cabins,  that  were  placed  in  every  glon  and  hollow 
of  the  mountains,  or  perched  on  the  summits  cf  the  hills 
themselves,  the  rain  was  falling  in  torrents.  The  dark 
edges  of  the  stumps  began  to  exhibit  themselves,  as  the 
snow  settled  rapidly ;  the  fences  of  logs  and  brush,  which 
before  had  been  only  traced  by  long  lines  of  white  mounds, 
that  ran  across  the  valley  and  up  the  mountains,  peeped  out 
from  their  covering,  and  the  black  stubs  were  momentarily 
becoming  more  distinct,  as  large  masses  of  snow  and  ico 
fell  from  their  sides,  under  the  influence  of  the  thaw. 

Sheltered  in  the  warm  hall  of  her  father's  comfortable 
mansion,  Elizabeth,  accompanied  by  Louisa  Grant,  looked 
abroad  with  admiration  at  the  ever-varying  face  of  things 
without.  Even  the  village,  which  had  just  before  been 
glittering  with  the  color  of  the  frozen  element,  reluctantly 
dropped  its  mask,  and  the  houses  exposed  their  dark  roofs 
and  smoked  chimneys.  The  pines  shook  off  the  covering 
of  snow,  and  everything  seemed  to  be  assuming  its  propel 
hue,  witii  a  transition  that  bordered  on  the  super  natural. 


212  THE   PIONEERS 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

And  yet,  poor  Edwin  was  no  vulgar  boy. 


BKATTUC. 


THE  close  of  Christmas  Day,  A.  D.  1793,  was  tempests 
ous,  but  comparatively  warm.  When  darkness  had  again 
hid  the  objects  in  the  village  from  the  gaze  of  Elizabeth, 
she  turned  from  the  window,  where  she  had  remained  while 
the  least  vestige  of  light  lingered  over  the  tops  of  the  dark 
pines,  with  a  curiosity  that  was  rather  excited  than  ap 
peased  by  the  passing  glimpses  of  woodland  scenery  that 
she  had  caught  during  the  day. 

With  her  arm  locked  in  that  of  Miss  Grant,  the  young 
mistress  of  the  mansion  walked  slowly  up  and  down  the 
hall,  musing  on  scenes  that  were  rapidly  recurring  to  her 
memory,  and  possibly  dwelling,  at  times,  in  the  sanctu 
ary  of  her  thoughts,  on  the  strange  occurrences  that  had 
led  to  the  introduction  to  her  father's  family,  of  one  whose 
manners  so  singularly  contradicted  the  inferences  to  be 
drawn  from  his  situation.  The  expiring  heat  of  the  apart 
ment  —  for  its  great  size  required  a  day  to  reduce  its  tem 
perature  —  had  given  to  her  cheeks  a  bloom  that  exceeded 
their  natural  color,  while  the  mild  and  melancholy  features 
of  Louisa  were  brightened  with  a  faint  tinge,  that,  like  the 
hectic  of  disease,  gave  a  painful  interest  to  her  beauty. 

The  eyes  of  the  gentlemen,  who  yet  were  seated  around 
tne  rich  wines  of  Judge  Temple,  frequently  wandered  from 
the  table,  that  was  placed  at  one  end  of  the  hall,  to  the 
forms  that  were  silently  moving  over  its  length.  Much 
mirth,  and  that,  at  times,  of  a  boisterous  kind,  proceeded 
from  the  mouth  of  Richard  ;  but  Major  ILirtmann  was  not 
yet  excited  to  his  pitch  of  merriment,  and  Marmaduke  re 
spected  the  presence  of  his  clerical  guest  too  much  to 


THE  PIONEERS.  213 

indulge  in  even  the  innocent  humor  that  formed  no  small 
ingredient  in  his  character. 

Such  were,  and  such  continued  to  be,  the  pursuits  of  the 
party,  for  half  an  hour  after  the  shutters  were  closed,  and 
candles  were  placed  in  various  parts  of  the  hall,  as  substi 
tutes  for  the  departing  daylight.  The  appearance  of  Ben 
jamin,  staggering  under  the  burden  of  an  armful  of  wood, 
was  the  first  interruption  to  the  scene. 

"  How  now,  Master  Pump !  "  roared  the  newly  ap 
pointed  sheriff;  "is  there  not  warmth  enough  in  'Duke'fc 
beat  Madeira  to  keep  up  the  animal  heat  through  this  thaw  ? 
Remember,  old  boy,  that  the  Judge  is  particular  with  his 
beech  and  maple,  beginning  to  dread  already  a  scarcity  of 
the  precious  articles.  Ha !  ha  !  ha !  'Duke,  you  are  a  good, 
warm-hearted  relation,  I  will  own,  as  in  duty  bound,  but 
you  have  some  queer  notions  about  you,  after  all.  '  Come 
let  us  be  jolly,  and  cast  away  folly.' " 

The  notes  gradually  sank  into  a  hum,  while  the  major- 
domo  threw  down  his  load,  and  turning  to  Ins  interrogator 
with  an  air  of  earnestness,  replied,  — 

"  Why,  look  you,  Squire  Dickens,  mayhap  there's  a 
warm  latitude  round  about  the  table  there,  tho'f  it's  not  the 
stuff  to  raise  the  heat  in  my  body,  neither ;  the  raal  Ja- 
maiky  being  the  only  thing  to  do  that,  besides  good  wood, 
or  some  such  matter  as  Newcastle  coal.  But,  if  I  know 
anything  of  weather,  d'ye  see,  it's  time  to  be  getting  all 
snug,  and  for  putting  the  ports  in,  and  sirring  the  fires  a 
bit.  Mayhap  I've  not  followed  the  seas  twenty-seven  years, 
and  lived  another  seven  in  these  here  woods,  for  nothing, 
gemmeu." 

"  Why,  does  it  bid  fair  for  a  change  in  the  weather, 
Benjamin  ?  "  inquired  the  master  of  the  house. 

"  There's  a  shift  of  wind,  your  honor,"  returned  the 
Bte  \vard;  "  and  when  there's  a  shift  of  wind,  you  may  look 
for  a  change  in  this  here  climate.  I  was  aboard  of  one 
of  Rodney's  fleet,  d'ye  see,  about  the  time  we  licked  De 
Grasse,  Mounsheer  Ler  Quaw's  countryman,  there  ;  and  the 
wind  was  here  at  the  south'ard  and  east'ard  ;  and  I  was  be 
low,  mixing  a  toothful  of  hot  stulT  for  the  captain  of  ma* 


214  THE  PIONEERS. 

tines,  who  dined,  d'ye  see,  in  the  cabin,  that  there  very  same 
day  ;  and  I  suppose  he  wanted  to  put  out  the  captain's  fire 
with  a  gun-room  ingyne :  and  so,  just  as  I  got  it  to  my  own 
liking,  after  tasting  pretty  often,  for  the  soldier  was  cliilicult 
to  please,  slap  came  the  foresail  agin  the  mast,  whiz  went 
the  ship  round  on  her  heel,  like  a  whirligig.  And  a  lucky 
thing  was  it  that  our  helm  was  down  ;  for  as  she  gathered 
starnway  she  paid  off,  which  was  more  than  every  ship  in 
the  fleet  did,  or  could  do.  But  she  strained  herself  in  the 
trough  of  the  sea,  and  she  shipped  a  deal  of  water  over  her 
quarter.  I  never  swallowed  so  much  clear  water  at  a  time 
in  my  life,  as  I  did  then,  for  I  was  looking  up  the  after- 
hatch  at  the  instant." 

"  I  wonder,  Benjamin,  that  you  did  not  die  with  a 
dropsy  ! "  said  Marmaduke. 

"  I  mought,  Judge,"  said  the  old  tar,  with  a  broad  grin  ; 
"  but  there  was  no  need  of  the  med'cine  chest  for  a  cure ; 
for,  as  I  thought  the  brew  was  spoilt  for  the  marine's  taste, 
and  there  was  no  telling  when  another  sea  might  come  and 
spoil  it  for  mine,  I  finished  the  mug  on  the  spot.  So  then 
all  hands  was  called  to  the  pumps,  and  there  we  began  to 
ply  the  pumps  "  — 

"  Well,  but  the  weather  ? "  interrupted  Marmaduke  ; 
"  what  of  the  weather  without  doors  ?  " 

"  Why,  here  the  wind  has  been  all  day  at  the  south,  and 
now  there's  a  lull,  as  if  the  last  blast  was  out  of  the  bel 
lows  ;  and  therars  a  streak  along  the  mountains,  to  the 
north'ard,  that,  just  now,  wasn't  wider  than  the  bigness  of 
your  hand;  and  then  the  clouds  drive  afore  it  as  you'd 
brail  a  mainsail,  and  the  stars  are  heaving  in  sight,  like  so 
many  lights  and  beacons,  put  there  to  warn  us  to  pile  on 
the  wood  ;  and,  if-so-be  that  I'm  a  judge  of  weather,  it'g 
getting  to  be  time  to  build  on  a  fire ;  or  you'll  have  half 
of  them  there  porter  bottles,  and  them  dimmyjohns  of 
wine,  in  the  locker  here,  breaking  with  the  frost,  afore  tha 
morning  watch  is  called." 

"  Thou  art  a  prudent  sentinel,"  said  the  Judge.  "  Act 
thy  pleasHre  with  the  forests,  for  this  night  at  least." 

Benjamin  did  as  he   was  ordered  ;  nor  had  two  houri 


THE  PIONEERS.  216 

elapsed  before  the  prudence  of  his  precautions  became  very 
visible.  The  Fouth  wind  had,  indeed,  blown  itself  out,  and 
it  was  succeeded  by  the  calmness  that  usually  gave  warning 
of  a  serious  change  in  the  weather.  Long  before  the 
family  retired  to  rest,  the  cold  had  become  cuttingly  severe 
and  when  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  sallied  forth,  under  a  bright 
inoon,  to  seek  his  own  abode,  he  was  compelled  to  beg  & 
blanket,  in  which  he  might  envelop  his  form,  in  addition  to 
the  numerous  garments  that  his  sagacity  had  provided  foi 
the  occasion.  The  divine  and  his  daughter  remained  aa 
inmates  of  the  Mansion-house  during  the  night,  and  the 
excess  of  last  night's  merriment  induced  the  gentlemen  to 
make  an  early  retreat  to  their  several  apartments.  Long 
before  midnight,  the  whole  family  were  invisible. 

Elizabeth  and  her  friend  had  not  yet  lost  their  senses  in 
sleep,  when  the  bowlings  of  the  northwest  \^nd  were  heard 
around  the  buildings,  and  brought  with  them  that  exquisite 
sense  of  comfort  that  is  ever  excited  under  such  circum 
stances,  in  an  apartment  where  the  fire  has  not  yet  ceased  to 
glimmer ;  and  curtains,  and  shutters,  and  feathers,  unite  to 
preserve  the  desired  temperature.  Once,  just  as  her  eyes 
had  opened,  apparently  in  the  last  stage  of  drowsiness,  the 
roaring  winds  brought  with  them  a  long  and  plaintive  howl, 
that  seemed  too  wild  for  a  dog,  and  yet  resembled  the  cries 
of  that  faithful  animal,  when  night  awakens  his  vigilance, 
and  gives  sweetness  and  solemnity  to  his  alarms.  The 
form  of  Louisa  Grant  instinctively  pressed  nearer  to  that 
\>f  the  young  heiress,  who,  finding  her  companion  was  yet 
awake,  said,  in  a  low  tone,  as  if  afraid  to  break  a  charm 
with  her  voice, — 

"Those  distant  cries  are  plaintive,  and  even  beautiful. 
Can  they  be  the  hounds  from  the  hut  of  Leather-Stock 
ing?" 

"  They  are  wolves,  who  have  ventured  from  the  moun 
tain,  on  the  lake,"  whispered  Louisa,  "  and  who  are  only 
kept  from  the  village  by  the  lignts.  One  night,  since  we 
,iave  been  here,  hunger  drove  them  to  our  very  door.  O, 
what  a  dreadful  night  it  was !  But  the  riches  of  Judge 
Temple  have  given  him  too  many  safeguards,  to  leave  room 
t>r  fc&r  in  this  house." 


216  THE  PIONEERS. 

"The  enterprise  of  Judge  Temple  is  taming  the  very 
forests ! "  exclaimed  Elizabeth,  throwing  off  the  covering' 
and  partly  rising  in  the  bed.  "  How  rapidly  is  civilization 
treading  on  the  footsteps  of  nature  ! "  she  continued,  as  hei 
eye  glanced  over,  not  only  the  comforts,  but  the  luxuries 
of  her  apartment,  and  her  ear  again  listened  to  the  distant, 
but  often  repeated  howls  from  the  lake.  Finding,  how 
ever,  that  the  timidity  of  her  companion  rendered  the 
sounds  painful  to  her,  Elizabeth  resumed  her  place,  and 
Boon  forgot  the  changes  in  the  country,  with  those  in  her 
own  condition,  in  a  deep  sleep. 

The  following  morning,  the  noise  of  the  female  servant 
who  entered  the  apartment  to  light  the  fire,  awoke  tha 
females.  They  arose,  and  finished  the  slight  preparations 
of  th^ir  toilets  in  a  clear,  cold  atmosphere,  that  penetrated 
through  all  the  defenses  of  even  Miss  Temple's  warm 
room.  When  Elizabeth  was  attired,  she  approached  a 
window  and  drew  its  curtain,  and  throwing  open  its  shutters, 
she  endeavored  to  look  abroad  on  the  village  and  the  lake. 
But  a  thick  covering  of  frost  on  the  glass,  while  it  admitted 
the  light,  shut  out  the  view.  She  raised  the  sash,  and  then, 
indeed,  a  glorious  scene  met  her  delighted  eye. 

The  lake  had  exchanged  its  covering  of  unspotted  snow 
for  a  face  of  dark  ice,  that  reflected  the  rays  of  the  rising 
sun,  like  a  polished  mirror.  The  houses  were  clothed  in  a 
dress  of  the  same  description,  but  which,  owing  to  its 
position,  shone  like  bright  steel ;  while  the  enormous  icicles, 
that  were  pendent  from  every  roof,  caught  the  brilliant 
light,  apparently  throwing  it  from  one  to  the  other,  as  eacLi 
glittered,  on  the  side  next  the  luminary,  with  a  golden 
lustre,  that  melted  away,  on  its  opposite,  into  the  dusky 
shades  of  a  background.  But  it  was  the  appearance  of  the 
boundless  forests  that  covered  the  hills  as  they  rose,  in  the 
distance,  one  over  the  other,  that  most  attracted  the  gaze 
of  Miss  Temple.  The  huge  branches  of  the  pines  and  hem 
locks  bent  with  the  weight  of  the  ice  they  supported,  while 
their  summits  rose  above  the  swelling  tops  of  the  oaks, 
beeches,  and  maples,  like  spires  of  burnished  silver  issuing 
from  domes  of  the  same  material.  The  limits  of  the  view 


THE  PIONEERS.  217 

in  the  west,  were  marked  by  an  undulating  outline  of  bright 
light,  as  if,  reversing  the  order  of  nature,  numberless  suns 
might  momentarily  be  expected  to  heave  above  the  horizon. 
In  the  foreground  of  the  picture,  along  the  shores  of  the 
lake,  and  near  to  the  village,  each  tree  seemed  studded  with 
diamonds.  Even  the  sides  of  the  mountains  where  the  rays 
of  the  sun  could  not  yet  fall,  were  decorated  with  a  glassy 
coat,  that  presented  every  gradation  of  brilliancy,  from  the 
first  touch  of  the  luminary  to  the  dark  foliage  of  the  hem 
lock,  glistening  through  its  coat  of  crystal.  In  short,  the 
whole  view  was  one  scene  of  quivering  radiancy,  as  lake, 
mountains,  village,  and  woods,  each  emitted  a  portion  of 
light,  tinged  with  its  peculiar  hue,  and  varied  by  its  posi 
tion  and  its  magnitude. 

"  See ! "  cried  Elizabeth,  "  see,  Louisa  :  haster  to  the 
window,  and  observe  the  miraculous  change ! " 

Miss  Grant  complied  ;  and,  after  bending  for  a  momer.t 
in  silence,  from  the  opening,  she  observed,  in  a  low  tone,  as 
if  afraid  to  trust  the  sound  of  her  voice,  — 

"  The  change  is  indeed  wonderful !  I  am  surprised  that 
ne  should  be  able  to  effect  it  so  soon." 

Elizabeth  turned  in  amazement,  to  hear  so  skeptical  a 
sentiment  from  one  educated  like  her  companion ;  but  was 
surprised  to  find  that,  instead  of  looking  at  the  view,  tho 
mild  blue  eyes  of  Miss  Grant  were  dwelling  on  the  form 
of  a  well-dressed  young  man,  who  was  standing  before  the 
door  of  the  building,  in  earnest  conversation  with  her 
father.  A  second  look  was  necessary,  before  she  was  able 
I  to  recognize  the  person  of  the  young  hunter,  in  a  plain,  but 
v  assuredly  the  ordinary  garb  of  a  gentleman. 

"  Everything  in  this  magical  country  seems  to  border  on 
the  marvelous,"  said  Elizabeth ;  "  and  among  all  the  changes, 
this  is  certainly  not  the  least  wonderful.  The  actors  are 
as  unique  as  the  scenery." 

Miss  Grant  colored,  and  drew  in  her  head. 

"  I  am  a  simple  country  girl,  Miss  Temple,  and  I  ani 
afraid  you  will  find  me  but  a  poor  companion,"  she  said. 
"I  —  I  am  not  sure  that  I  understand  all  you  say.  But  I 
«eally  thought  that  you  wished  me  to  notice  the  alteration 


218    .  THE  PIONEERS. 

in  Mr.  Edwards.  Is  it  not  more  wonderful  when  we  recol 
lect  his  origin  ?  They  say  he  is  part  Indian." 

"  He  is  a  genteel  savage :  but  let  us  go  down,  and  give 
the  Sachem  his  tea  —  for  I  suppose  he  is  a  descendant  of 
King  Philip,  if  not  a  grandson  of  Pocahontas." 

The  ladies  were  met  in  the  hall  by  Judge  Temple,  who 
took  his  daughter  aside  to  apprise  her  of  that  alteration  in 
the  appearance  of  their  new  inmate,  with  which  she  was 
already  acquainted. 

"  He  appears  reluctant  to  converse  on  his  farmer  situa 
tion,"  continued  Marmaduke  ;  "  but  I  gather  from  his  dis 
course,  as  is  apparent  from  his  manner,  that  he  has  seen 
better  days ;  and  I  really  am  inclining  to  the  opinion  of 
Richard,  as  to  his  origin ;  for  it  was  no  unusual  thing  for 
the  Indian  agents  to  rear  their  children  in  a  laudable  man 
ner,  and  "  — 

"Very  well,  my  dear  sir,"  interrupted  his  daughter, 
laughing  and  averting  her  eyes ;  "  it  is  all  well  enough,  I 
dare  say ;  but  as  I  do  not  understand  a  word  of  the  Mohawk 
language,  he  must  be  content  to  speak  English  ;  and  as  for 
his  behavior,  I  trust  to  your  discernment  to  control  it." 

"  Aye  !  but,  Bess,"  said  the  Judge,  detaining  her  gently 
rt/ith  his  hand,  "  nothing  must  be  said  to  him  of  his  past  life. 
This  he  has  begged  particularly  of  me,  as  a  favor.  He  is, 
perhaps,  a  little  soured,  just  now,  with  his  wounded  arm ; 
the  injury  seems  very  light,  and  another  time  he  may  be 
more  communicative." 

"O!  I  am  not  much  troubled,  sir,  with  that  laudable 
thirst  after  knowledge,  that  is  called  curiosity.  I  shall 
believe  him  to  be  the  child  of  Corn-stalk,  or  Corn-planter, 
or  some  other  renowned  chieftain ;  possibly  of  the  Big 
Snake  himself;  and  shall  treat  him  as  such  until  he  sees 
ft  to  shave  his  good-looking  head,  borrow  some  half-dozen 
pair  of  my  best  ear-rings,  shoulder  his  rifle  again,  and  dis 
appear  as  suddenly  as  he  made  his  entrance.  So  come,  my 
dear  sir,  and  let  us  not  forget  the  rates  of  hospitality,  for 
the  short  time  he  is  to  remain  with  us." 

Judge  Temple  smiled  at  the  playfulness  of  his  child,  and 
taking  her  arm,  they  entered  the  breakfast  parlor,  whert 


THE  PIONEERS.  219 

the  young  hunter  was  seated,  with  an  air  that  showed  his 
determination  to  domesticate  himself  in  the  family  with  as 
little  parade  as  possible. 

Such  were  the  incidents  that  led  to  this  extraordinary 
increase  in  the  family  of  Judge  Temple,  where,  having  once 
established  the  youth,  the  subject  of  our  tale  requires  us  to 
leave  him,  for  a  time,  to  pursue  with  diligence  and  intelli 
gence  the  employments  that  were  assigned  him  by  Marram 
duke. 

Major  Hartmann  made  his  customary  visit,  and  took  his 
leave  of  the  party  for  the  next  three  months.  Mr.  Grant 
was  compelled  to  be  absent  much  of  his  time,  in  remote 
parts  of  the  country,  and  his  daughter  became  almost  a  con 
stant  visitor  at  the  Mansion-house.  Richard  entered,  with 
his  constitutional  eagerness,  on  the  duties  of  his  new  office ; 
and,  as  Marmaduke  was  much  employed  with  the  constant 
applications  of  adventurers  for  farms,  the  winter  passed 
swiftly  away.  The  lake  was  a  principal  scene  for  the 
amusements  of  the  young  people  ;  where  the  ladies,  in  their 
one-horse  cutter,  driven  by  Richard,  and  attended,  when  the 
snow  would  admit  of  it,  by  young  Edwards,'  on  his  skates, 
spent  many  hours,  taking  the  benefit  of  exercise  in  the  clear 
air  of  the  hills.  The  reserve  of  the  youth  gradually  gave 
way  to  time  and  his  situation,  though  it  was  still  evident,  to 
a  close  observer,  that  he  had  frequent  moments  of  bitter  and 
intense  feeling. 

Elizabeth  saw  many  large  openings  appear  in  the  sides 
of  tho  mountains  during  the  three  succeeding  months,  where 
different  settlers  had,  in  the  language  of  the  country,  "  made 
their  pitch ; "  while  the  numberless  sleighs  that  passed 
through  the  village,  loaded  with  wheat  and  barrels  of  pot 
ashes,  afforded  a  clear  demonstration  that  all  these  labors 
were  not  undertaken  in  vain.  In  short,  the  whole  court!  v 
was  exhibiting  the  bustle  of  a  thriving  settlement,  where 
the  highways  were  thronged  with  sleighs,  bearing  piles  of 
rough  household  furniture  ;  studded,  here  and  there,  with 
^6  smiling  faces  of  women  and  children,  happy  in  the 
excitement  of  novelty  ;  or  with  loads  of  produce,  hastening 
to  the  common  market  at  Albany,  that  served  as  so  many 


220  THE  PIONEERS. 

snares  to  induce  the  emigrants   to  enter  into   those  wild 
mountains  in  search  of  competence  and  happiness. 

The  village  was  alive  with  business  ;  the  artisans  increas 
ing  in  wealth  with  the  prosperity  of  the  country,  and  each 
day  witnessing  some  nearer  approach  to  the  manners  and 
usages  of  an  old  settled  town.  The  man  who  carried  the 
mail,  or  "  the  post,"  as  he  was  called,  talked  much  of  run 
ning  a  stage,  and,  once  or  twice  during  the  winter,  he  was 
seen  taking  a  single  passenger,  in  his  cutter,  through  the 
snow-banks,  towards  the  Mohawk,  along  which  a  regular 
vehicle  glided,  semi-weekly,  with  the  velocity  of  lightning, 
and  under  the  direction  of  a  knowing  whip  from  the  "  down 
countries."  Towards  spring,  divers  families,  who  had  been 
into  the  "  old  States,"  to  see  their  relatives,  returned,  in  time 
to  save  the  snow,  frequently  bringing  with  them  whole 
neighborhoods,  who  were  tempted  by  their  representations 
to  leave  the  farms  of  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  to. 
make  a  trial  of  fortune  in  the  woods. 

During  all  this  time,  Oliver  Edwards,  whose  sudden 
elevation  excited  no  surprise  in  that  changeful  country,  was 
earnestly  engaged  in  the  service  of  Marmaduke,  during  the 
days  ;  but  his  nights  were  often  spent  in  the  hut  of  Leather- 
Stocking.  The  intercourse  between  the  three  hunters  wai 
maintained  with  a  certain  air  of  mystery,  it  is  true,  but  with 
much  zeal  and  apparent  interest  to  all  the  parties.  Even 
Mohegan  seldom  came  to  the  Mansion-house,  and  Natty, 
never ;  but  Edwards  sought  every  leisure  moment  to  visit 
lia  former  abode,  from  which  he  would  often  return  in  the 
gleomy  hours  of  night,  through  the  snow,  or,  if  detained 
jeyond  the  time  at  which  the  family  retired  to  rest,  with 
the  morning  sun.  These  visits  certainly  excited  much 
speculation  in  those  to  whom  they  were  known,  but  no 
comments  were  made,  excepting  occasionally,  in  whispers 
from  Richard,  who  would  say, — 

"It  is  not  at  all  remarkable;  a  half-breed  can  never 
be  weaned  from  the  savage  ways,  and  for  one  of  his  line 
age,  the  boy  is  much  nearer  civilization  than  could,  in 
reason,  be  expected." 


THE  PIONELBS.  221 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Away  1  nor  let  me  loiter  in  my  song, 

For  we  have  many  a  mountain  path  to  tread. 

BTBOB. 

As  the  spring  gradually  approached,  the  immense  piles 
of  snow,  that  by  alternate  thaws  and  frosts,  and  repeated 
storms,  had  obtained  a  firmness  which  threatened  a  tiresome 
durability,  began  to  yield  to  the  influence  of  milder  breezes 
and  a  warmer  sun.  The  gates  of  heaven  at  times  seemed 
to  open,  and  a  bland  air  diffused  itself  over  the  earth,  when 
animate  and  inanimate  nature  would  awaken,  and,  for  a  few 
hours,  the  gayety  of  spring  shone  in  every  eye,  and  smiled 
on  every  field.  But  the  shivering  blasts  from  the  north 
would  carry  their  chill  influence  over  the  scene  again,  and 
the  dark  and  gloomy  clouds  that  intercepted  the  rays  of  the 
sun  were  not  more  cold  and  dreary  than  the  reaction. 
These  struggles  between  the  seasons  became  daily  more  fre 
quent,  while  the  earth,  like  a  victim  to  contention,  elowly 
lost  the  animated  brilliancy  of  winter,  without  obtaining  the 
aspect  of  spring. 

Several  weeks  were  consumed  in  this  cheerless  manner, 
during  which  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  gradually 
charged  their  pursuits  from  the  social  and  bustling  move 
ments  of  .the  time  of  snow,  to  the  laborious  and  domestic 
enga gem  ants  of  the  coming  season.  The  village  was  no 
longer  thronged  with  visitors ;  the  trade,  that  had  enlivened 
the  shops  for  several  months,  began  to  disappear  ;  the  high 
ways  lost  their  shining  coats  of  beaten  snow  hi  impassable 
sloughs,  and  were  deserted  by  the  gay  and  noisy  travellers 
tfho,  in  sleighs,  had,  during  the  winter,  glided  along  their 
windings  ;  and,  in  short,  everything  seemed  indicative  of  a 
oiighty  change,  not  only  in  the  earthf  but  in  those  wh« 


222  THE  PIONEERS. 

derived  their  sources  of  comfort  and  happiness  from   ita 
bosorn. 

The  younger  members  of  the  family  in  the  Mansion 
house,  of  which  Louisa  Grant  was  now  habitually  one,  were 
by  no  means  indifferent  observers  of  these  fluctuating  and 
tardy  changes.  While  the  snow  rendered  the  roads  pass 
able,  they  had  partaken  largely  in  the  amusements  of  tho 
winter,  which  included  not  only  daily  rides  over  the  moun 
tains,  and  through  every  valley  within  twenty  miles  of  them, 
but  divers  ingenious  and  varied  sources  of  pleasure,  on  the 
bosom  of  their  frozen  lake.  There  had  been  excursions  in 
the  equipage  of  Richard,  when,  with  his  four  horses,  he  had 
outstripped  the  winds,  as  it  flew  over  the  glassy  ice  which 
invariably  succeeded  a  thaw.  Then  the  exciting  and 
dangerous  "  whirlgig "  would  be  suffered  to  possess  its 
moment  of  notice.  Cutters,  drawn  by  a  single  horse,  and 
hand-sleds,  impelled  by  the  gentlemen,  on  skates,  would 
each  in  turn  be  used ;  and,  in  short,  every  source  of  relief 
against  the  tediousness  of  a  winter  in  the  mountains  was 
resorted  to  by  the  family.  Elizabeth  was  compelled  to 
acknowledge  to  her  father,  that  the  season,  with  the  aid  of 
his  library,  was  much  less  irksome  than  she  had  anticipated. 

As  exercise  in  the  open  air  was  in  some  degree  necessary 
to  the  habits  of  the  family,  when  the  constant  recurrence  of 
frosts  and  thaws  rendered  the  roads,  which  were  dangerous 
at  the  most  favorable  times,  utterly  impassable  for  wheels, 
saddle  horses  were  used  as  substitutes  for  other  conveyances. 
Mounted  on  small  and  sure-footed  beasts,  the  ladies  would 
again  attempt  the  passages  of  the  mountains,  and  penetrate 
into  every  retired  glen,  where  the  enterprise  of  a  settler  had 
induced  him  to  establish  himself.  In  these  excursions  they 
were  attended  by  some  one  or  all  of  the  gentlemen  of  the 
family,  as  their  different  pursuits  admitted.  Young  Ed 
wards  was  hourly  becoming  more  familiarized  to  his  situa 
tion,  and  not  unfrequently  mingled  in  the  parties  with  an 
unconcern  and  gayety,  that  for  a  short  time  would  expel  ail 
unpleasant  recollections  from  his  mind.  Habit,  and  the 
buoyancy  of  youth,  seemed  to  be  getting  the  ascendency 
over  the  secret  causes  of  his  uneasiness ;  though  there  wer*- 


THS.   FIOXEEKS.  223 

moments,  when  the  same  remarkable  expression  of  disgust 
would  cross  his  intercourse  with  Marmaduke,  that  had  dis 
tinguished  their  conversations  in  the  first  days  of  their 
acquaintance. 

It  was  at  the  close  of  the  month  of  March,  that  the 
Sheriff  succeeded  in  persuading  his  cousin  and  her  young 
friend  to  accompany  him  in  a  ride  to  a  hill  that  was  said  to 
overhang  the  lake  in  a  manner  peculiar  to  itself. 

"  Besides,  cousin  Bess,"  continued  the  indefatigable  Rich « 
ard,  "  we  will  stop  and  see  the  '  sugar  bush '  of  Billy  Kirby  \ 
he  is  on  the  east  end  of  the  Ransom  lot,  making  sugar  foi 
Jared  Ransom.  There  is  not  a  better  hand  over  a  kettle 
m  the  county  than  that  same  Kirby.  You  remember, 
'Duke,  that  I  had  him  his  first  season,  in  our  own  camp ; 
and  it  is  not  a  wonder  that  he  knows  something  of  his 
trade." 

"  He's  a  good  chopper,  is  Billy,"  observed  Benjamin,  who 
held  the  bridle  of  the  horse  while  the  Sheriff  mounted ; 
"  and  he  handles  an  axe  much  the  same  as  a  forecastle-man 
does  his  marlingspike,  or  a  tailor  his  goose.  They  say 
he'll  lift  a  potash  kettle  off  the  arch  alone,  though  I  can't 
say  that  I've  ever  seen  him  do  it  with  my  own  eyes  ;  but 
that  is  the  say.  And  I've  seen  sugar  of  his  making,  which, 
maybe,  wasn't  as  white  as  an  old  topgallant-sail,  but  which 
my  friend  Mistress  Prettybones,  within  there,  said  had  the 
true  molasses  smack  to  it ;  and  you  are  not  the  one,  Squire 
Dickens,  to  be  told  that  Mistress  Remarkable  has  a  remark 
able  tooth  for  sweet  things,  in  her  nut  grinder." 

The  loud  laugh  that  succeeded  the  wit  of  Benjamin,  am 
in  which  he  participated,  with  no  very  harmonious  sounds, 
himself,  very  fully  illustrated  the  congenkxl  temper  which 
existed  between  the  pair.  Most  of  its  point  was,  however, 
lost  on  the  rest  of  the  party,  who  were  either  mounting  their 
aorses  or  assisting  the  ladies  at  the  moment.  When  all 
were  safely  in  their  saddles,  they  moved  through  the  village 
jn  great  order.  They  paused  for  a  moment  before  the  door 
of  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  until  he  could  bestride  his  steed,  and 
then  issuing  from  the  little  cluster  of  houses,  they  took  one 
of  the  principal  of  those  highways  that  centered  in  tiM 


224  THE   PIONEERS. 

As  each  night  brought  with  it  a  severe  frost,  which  the 
heat  of  the  succeeding  day  served  to  dissipate,  the  equestri 
ans  were  compelled  to  proceed  singly  along  the  margin  of 
the  road,  where  the  turf,  and  firmness  of  the  ground,  gave 
the  horses  a  secure  footing.  Very  trifling  indications  of 
vegetation  were  to  be  seen,  the  surface  of  the  earth  present 
ing  a  cold,  wet,  and  cheerless  aspect  that  chilled  the  blood. 
The  snow  yet  lay  scattered  over  most  of  those  distant  clear 
ings  that  were  visible  in  different  parts  of  the  mountains 
though  here  and  there  an  opening  might  be  seen,  where  as 
the  white  covering  yielded  to  the  season,  the  bright  and 
lively  green  of  the  wheat  served  to  enkindle  the  hopes  of 
the  husbandman.  Nothing  could  be  more  marked  than  the 
contrast  between  the  earth  and  the  heavens  ;  for,  while  the 
former  presented  the  dreary  view  that  we  have  described,  a 
warm  and  invigorating  sun  was  dispensing  his  heats  from  a 
sky  that  contained  but  a  solitary  cloud,  and  through  an  at 
mosphere  that  softened  the  colors  of  the  sensible  horizon 
until  it  shone  like  a  sea  of  blue. 

Richard  led  the  way,  on  this,  as  on  all  other  occasions, 
that  did  not  require  the  exercise  of  unusual  abilities ;  and  as 
he  moved  along,  he  essayed  to  enliven  the  party  with  the 
sounds  of  his  experienced  voice. 

"  This  is  your  true  sugar  weather,  'Duke,"  he  cried  ;  u  a 
frosty  night  and  a  sunshiny  day.  I  warrant  me  that  the 
sap  runs  like  a  mill-tail  up  the  maples  this  warm  morning. 
It  is  a  pity,  Judge,  that  you  do  not  introduce  a  little  more 
science  into  the  manufacture  of  sugar  among  your  tenants. 
It  might  be  done,  sir,  without  knowing  as  much  as  Doctor 
Franklin — it  might  be  done,  Judge  Temple." 

"  The  first  object  of  my  solicitude,  friend  Jones,"  returned 
Marmaduke,  "  is  to  protect  the  sources  of  this  great  mine  of 
comfort  and  wealth  from  the  extravagance  of  the  people 
themselves.  When  this  important  point  shall  be  achieved, 
it  will  be  in  season  to  turn  our  attention  to  an  improvement 
in  the  manufacture  of  the  article.  But  thou  knowest,  Rich 
ard,  that  I  have  already  subjected  our  sugar  to  the  process 
of  the  refiner,  and  that  the  result  has  produced  loaves  as 
white  as  the  snow  on  yon  fields,  and  possessing  the  saccha* 
tine  quality  in  its  utmost  purity." 


THE  PIONEERS,  225 

"  Saccharine,  or  turpentine,  or  any  other  'ine,  Judge  Tein- 
pie,  you  have  never  made  a  loaf  larger  than  a  good  sized 
sugar-plum,"  returned  the  Sheriff.  "  Now,  sir,  I  assert  that 
no  experiment  is  fairly  tried,  until  it  be  reduced  to  practi 
cal  purposes.  If,  sir,  I  owned  a  hundred,  or,  for  that  mat 
ter,  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land,  as  you  do,  I  would 
build  a  sugar-house  in  the  village ;  I  would  invite  learned 
men  to  an  investigation  of  the  subject,  —  and  such  are  easily 
to  be  found,  sir ;  yes,  sir,  they  are  not  difficult  to  find,  — 
men  who  unite  theory  with  practice ;  and  I  would  select  a 
wood  of  young  and  thrifty  trees ;  and  instead  of  making 
loaves  of  the  size  of  a  lump  of  candy,  dam'me,  ^t)uke,  but 
I'd  have  them  as  big  as  a  haycock." 

"And  purchase  the  cargo  of  one  of  those  ships  that  they 
Bay  are  going  to  China,"  cried  Elizabeth  ;  "  turn  your  pot 
ash-kettles  into  tea-cups,  the  scows  on  the  lake  into  saucers  ; 
bake  your  cake  in  yonder  lime-kiln,  and  invite  the  county 
to  a  tea-party.  How  wonderful  are  the  projects  of  genius ! 
Really,  sir,  the  world  is  of  opinion  that  Judge  Temple  ha& 
tried  the  experiment  fairly,  though  he  did  not  cause  his 
loaves  to  be  cast  in  moulds  of  the  magnitude  that  would 
suit  your  magnificent  conceptions." 

"  You  may  laugh,  cousin  Elizabeth  —  you  may  laugh, 
madam,"  retorted  Richard,  turning  himself  so  much  in  his 
saddle  as  to  face  the  party,  and  making  dignified  gestures 
with  his  whip  ;  "  but  I  appeal  to  common  sense,  good  sense, 
or,  what  is  of  more  importance  than  either,  to  the  sense  of 
taste,  which  is  one  of  the  five  natural  senses,  whether  a  big 
loaf  of  sugar  is  not  likely  to  contain  a  better  illustration  of 
a  proposition  than  such  a'  lump  as  one  of  your  Dutch  women 
puts  under  her  tongue  when  she  drinks  her  tea.  There  are 
two  ways  of  doing  everything ;  the  right  way,  and  thfc 
wrong  way.  You  make  sugar  now,  I  will  admit,  and  you 
may,  possibly,  make  loaf-sugar  ;  but  I  take  the  question  to 
be,  "whether  you  may  make  the  best  possible  sugar,  and  in 
the  best  possible  loaves." 

"Thou  art  very  right,  Richard,"  observed  Marmaduke, 
with  a  gravity  in  his  air  that  proved  how  much  he  was  in 
terested  in  the  subject.  fc  It  is  very  true  that  we  manufoo 
15 


226  FHE  PIONEERS. 

tare  sugar,  and  the  inquiry  is  quite  useful,  how  much?  and 
in  what  manner?  I  liope  to  live  to  see  the  day,  \vhen 
farms  and  plantau  MIS  shall  be  devoted  to  this  branch  of 
busiress.  Little  is  known  concerning  the  properties  of  the 
tree  itself,  the  source  of  all  this  wealth ;  how  much  it  may 
be  improved  by  cultivation,  by  the  use  of  the  hoe  and 
plough." 

"  Hoe  and  plough !  "  roared  the  Sheriff,  "  would  you  set  a 
man  hoeing  round  the  root  of  a  maple  like  this  ?  "  —  point 
ing  to  one  of  the  noble  trees  that  occur  so  frequently  iu 
that  part  of  the  country.  "  Hoeing  trees !  are  you  mad, 
'Duke?  *This  is  next  to  hunting  for  coal!  Poll!  poh! 
my  dear  cousin,  hear  reason,  and. leave  the  management  of 
the  sugar  bush  to  me.  Here  is  Mr.  Le  Quoi,  —  he  has  been 
in  the  West  Indies,  and  has  seen  sugar  made.  Let  him 
give  an  account  of  how  it  is  made  there,  and  you  will  hear 
the  philosophy  of  the  thing.  Well,  Monsieur,  how  is  it 
that  you  make  sugar  in  the  West  Indies ;  anything  in  Judge 
Temple's  fashion  ?  " 

The  gentleman  to  whom  this  query  was  put  was  mounted 
on  a  small  horse,  of  no  very  fiery  temperament,  and  was 
riding  with  his  stirrups  so  short,  as  to  bring  his  knees,  while 
the  animal  rose  a  small  ascent  in  the  wood-path  they  were 
now  travelling,  into  a  somewhat  hazardous  vicinity  to  his 
chin.  There  was  no  room  for  gesticulation  or  grace  in  the 
delivery  of  his  reply,  for  the  mountain  was  steep  and  slip 
pery  ;  and  although  the  Frenchman  had  an  eye  of  uncom 
mon  magnitude  on  either  side  of  his  face,  they  did  not  seem 
to  be  half  competent  to  forewarn  him  of  the  impediments 
of  bushes,  twigs,  and  fallen  trees,  that  were  momentarily 
crossing  his  path.  With  one  hand  employed  in  averting 
these  dangers,  and  the  other  grasping  his  bridle,  to  check 
an  untoward  speed  that  his  horse  was  assuming,  the  native 
of  France  responded  as  follows,  — 

"  Sucre  !  dey  do  make  sucre  in  Martinique :  mais  —  mais 
je  n'est  pas  one  tree;  ah  —  ah  —  vat  you  call — je  vou 
Irois  que  ces  chemins  fussent  au  diable  —  vat  you  call  — 
ateeck  pour  le  promenade." 

"  Cuue,"  said  Elizabeth,  smiling  at  the  imprecation  which 


THE  PIONEERS.  227 

tlie  wary  Frenchman  supposed  was  understood  only  by  him 
self. 

"  Oui,  Mam'selle,  cane." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  cried  Richard,  "  cane  is  the  vulgar  name  for 
It,  but  the  real  term  is  saccharum  officinarum  ;  and  what 
we  call  the  sugar,  or  hard  maple,  is  acer  saccharinum. 
These  are  the  learned  names,  Monsieur,  and  are  such  as, 
doubtless,  you  well  understand." 

"  Is  this  Greek  or  Latin,  Mr.  Edwards?"  whispered  Eliz 
abeth  to  the  youth,  who  was  opening  a  passage  for  herself 
and  her  companions  through  the  bushes ;  "  or  perhaps  it 
is  a  still  more  learned  language,  for  an  interpretation  of 
which  we  must  look  to  you" 

The  dark  eye  of  the  young  man  glanced  towards  the 
speaker,  but'  its  resentful  expression  changed  in  ji  moment. 

"  I  shall  remember  your  doubts,  Miss  Temple,  when  next 
I  visit  my  old  friend  Mohegan,  and  either  his  skill,  or  that 
of  Leather-Stocking,  shall  solve  them." 

"  And  are  you,  then,  really  ignorant  of  their  language  ?  " 

"  Not  absolutely  ;  but  the  deep  learning  of  Mr.  Jones  is 
more  familiar  to  me,  or  even  the  polite  masquerade  of  Mon 
sieur  Le  Quoi." 

"  Do  you  speak  French  ? "  said  the  lady,  with  quick 
ness. 

"  It  is  a  common  language  with  the  Iroquois,  and  through 
the  Canadas,"  he  answered  smiling. 

"  Ah  !  but  they  are  Mingos,  and  your  enemies." 

"  It  will  be  well  for  me  if  I  have  no  worse,"  said  the 
youth,  dashing  ahead  with  his  horse,  and  putting  an  end  to 
the  evasive  dialogue. 

O 

The  discourse,  however,  was  maintained  with  great  vigor 
by  Kichard,  until  they  reached  an  open  wood  on  the  suii- 
mit  of  the  mountain,  where  the  hemlocks  and  pines  totally 
disappeared,  and  a  grove  of  the  very  trees  that  formed  the 
subject  of  debate  covered  the  earth  with  their  tall,  straight 
trunks  and  spreading  branches,  in  stately  pride.  The  un 
derwood  had  been  entirely  removed  from  this  throve,  or 
bush,  as  in  conjunction  with  the  simple  arrangements  fof 
boiling,  it  was  called,  and  a  wide  space  of  many  acres  wai 


228  THE  PIONEERS, 

cleared,  which  might  be  likened  to  the  dome  of  a  mightj 
temple,  to  which  the  maples  formed  the  columns,  their  tops 
composing  the  capitals,  and  the  heavens  the  arch.  A  deep 
and  careless  incision  had  been  made  into  each  tree,  near 
its  root,  into  which  little  sprouts,  formed  of  the  bark  of  the 
alder,  or  of  the  sumach,  were  fastened ;  and  a  trough, 
roughly  dug  out  of  the  linden,  or  basswood,  was  lying  at 
the  root  of  each  tree,  to  catch  the  sap  that  flowed  from  this 
extremely  wasteful  and  inartificial  arrangement. 

The  party  paused  a  moment,  on  gaining  the  flat,  to  breathe 
their  horses,  and,  as  the  scene  was  entirely  new  to  several 
of  their  number,  to  view  the  manner  of  collecting  the  fluid. 
A  fine  powerful  voice  aroused  them  from  their  momentary 
silence,  as  it  rang  under  the  branches  of  the  trees,  singing 
the  following  words  of  that  inimitable  doggerel,  whose  verses, 
if  extended,  would  reach  from  the  waters  of  the  Connecticut 
to  the  shores  of  Ontario.  The  tune  was,  of  course,  that 
familiar  air,  which,  although  it  is  said  to  have  been  first  ap 
plied  to  his  nation  in  derision,  circumstances  have  since  ren 
dered  so  glorious,  that  no  American  ever  hears  its  jingling 
cadence  without  feeling  a  thrill  at  his  heart. 

»  The  Eastern  States  be  full  of  men, 
The  Western  full  of  woods,  sir, 
The  hills  be  like  a  cattle-pen, 
The  roads  be  full  of  goods,  sir ! 

Then  flow  away,  my  sweety  sap, 

And  I  will  make  you  boily; 
Nor  catch  a  woodman's  hasty  nap, 
For  fear  you  should  get  roily. 

"  The  maple  tree's  a  precious  one, 

'Tis  fuel,  food,  and  timber; 
And  when  your  stiff  day's  work  ia  done, 
Its  juice  will  make  you  limber. 
Then  flow  away,  etc. 

«  And  what's  a  man  without  his  glass. 

His  wife  without  her  tea,  sir  ? 
But  neither  cup  nor  mug  will  pass, 
Without  this  honey-bee,  sir! 
Then  flow  away,"  etc. 

During  the  execution  of  this  sonorous  doggerel,  Richard 
kept  time  with  his  whip  on  the  mane  of  his  charger  accom- 


THE  PIONEERS.  229 

panying  the  gestures  with  a  corresponding  movement  of  his 
head  and  body.  Towards  the  close  of  the  song,  he  was 
overheard  humming  the  chorus,  and  at  its  last  repetition,  to 
strike  in  at  "  sweety  sap,"  and  carry  a  second  through,  with 
a  prodigious  addition  to  the  "  effect "  of  the  noise,  if  not  to 
tliat  of  the  harmony. 

"  Well  done  us  ! "  roared  the  Sheriff,  on  the  same  key 
with  the  tune  ;  "  a  very  good  song,  Billy  Kirby,  and  veiy 
well  sung.  Where  got  you  the  words,  lad  ?  is  there  more 
of  it,  and  can  you  furnish  me  with  a  copy  ?  " 

The  sugar-boiler,  who  was  busy  in  his  "  camp,"  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  equestrians,  turned  his  head  with  great 
indifference,  and  surveyed  the  party,  as  they  approached, 
with  admirable  coolness.  To  each  individual,  as  he  or  she 
rode  close  by  him,  he  gave  a  nod  that  was  extremely  good- 
natured  and  affable,  but  which  partook  largely  of  the  virtue 
of  equality,  for  not  even  to  the  ladies  did  he  in  the  least 
vary  his  mode  of  salutation,  by  touching  the  apology  for  a 
hat  that  he  wore,  or  by  any  other  motion  than  the  one  we 
have  mentioned. 

"How  goes  it,  how  goes  it,  Sheriff?"  said  the  wood- 
chopper  ;  "  what's  the  good  word  in  the  village  ?  " 

"  Why,  much  as  usual,  Billy,"  returned  Richard.  "  But 
how  is  this  ?  where  are  your  four  kettles,  and  your  troughs 
and  your  iron  coolers  ?  Do  you  make  sugar  in  this  slovenly 
way  ?  I  thought  you  were  one  of  the  best  sugar-boilers  in 
the  county." 

"  I'm  all  that,  Squire  Jones,"  said  Kirby,  who  continued 
his  occupation ;  "  I'll  turn  my  back  to  no  man  in  the  Ot- 
sego  hills,  for  chopping  and  logging,  for  boiling  down  the 
maple  sap,  for  tending  brick-kiln,  splitting  out  rails,  mak 
ing  potash,  and  parling  too,  or  hoeing  corn  ;  though  I  keep 
myself  pretty  much  to  the  first  business,  seeing  that  the  axo 
comes  most  natural  to  me." 

"  You  be  von  Jack  All-trade,  Mister  Beel,"  said  Mon 
sieur  Le  Quoi. 

"  How  ?  "  said  Kirby,  looking  up,  with  a  simplicity  which, 
coupled  with  his  gigantic  frame  and  manly  face,  was  a  littb 
ridiculous,  "  if  you  be  for  trade,  Mounsher,  here  is  some  ai 


230  THE  PIONEERS. 

good  sugar  as  you'll  find  the  season  through.  It's  as  cleai 
from  dirt,  as  the  Garman  Flats  is  free  from  stumps,  and  it 
has  the  raal  maple  flavor.  Such  stuff  would  sell  in  York 
for  candy." 

The  Frenchman  approached  the  place  where  Kirby  had 
deposited  his  cakes  of  sugar,  under  the  cover  of  a  bark  roof 
and  commenced  the  examination  of  the  article,  with  the  eye 
of  one  who  well  understood  its  value.  Marmaduke  had  dis 
mounted,  and  was  viewing  the  works  and  the  trees  very 
closely,  and  not  without  frequent  expressions  of  dissatisfac 
tion  at  the  careless  manner  in  which  the  manufacture  waa 
conducted. 

"  You  have  much  experience  in  these  things,  Kirby,"  he 
said  ;  "  what  course  do  you  pursue  in  making  your  sugar  ? 
I  see  you  have  but  two  kettles." 

u  Two  is  as  good  as  two  thousand,  Judge.  I'm  none  of 
your  polite  sugar-makers,  that  boils  for  the  great  folks  ; 
but  if  the  raal  sweet  maple  is  wanted,  I  can  answer  your 
turn.  First,  I  choose,  and  then  I  tap  my  trees ;  say  along 
about  the  last  of  February,  or  in  these  mountains,  maybe 
not  afore  the  middle  of  March ;  but  anyway,  just  as  the 
sap  begins  to  cleverly  run  "  — 

"  Well,  in  this  choice,"  interrupted  Marmaduke,  "  are 
you  governed  by  any  outward  signs  that  prove  the  quality 
of  the  tree  ?  " 

"  Why,  there's  judgment  in  all  things,"  said  Kirby,  stir 
ring  the  liquor  in  his  kettles  briskly.  "  There's  something 
in  knowing  when  and  how  much  to  stir  the  pot.  It's  a 
thing  that  must  be  larnt.  Rome  wasn't  built  in  a  day,  nor 
for  that  matter  Templetown  either,  though  it  may  be  said  to 
be  a  quick -growing  place.  I  never  put  my  axe  into  a  stunty 
tree,  or  one  that  hasn't  a  good,  fresh  looking  bark  ;  for 
trees  have  disorders,  like  creaturs  ;  and  Where's  the  policy 
of  taking  a  tree  that's  sickly,  any  more  than  you'd  choose  a 
foundered  horse  to  ride  post,  or  an  over-heated  ox  to  do 
your  logging  ?  " 

"  All  this  is  true.  But  what  are  the  sighs  of  illw;s9  ? 
bow  do  you  distinguish  a  tree  that  is  well  from  one  that  ii 
diseased  ?  " 


IHE  PIONEERS.  23.1 

u How  does  the  doctor  tell  who  has  lever,  and  who  colds?" 
interrupted  Richard.  "  By  examining  the  skin,  and  feeling 
the  pulse,  to  be  sure." 

"  Sartain,"  continued  Billy  ;  "  the  Squire  ain't  far  out  of 
the  way.  It's  by  the  look  of  the  thing,  sure  enough.  Well, 
when  the  sap  begins  to  get  a  free  run,  I  hang  over  the  ket 
tles,  and  set  up  the  bush.  My  first  boiling  I  push  prettj 
smartly,  till  I  get  the  virtue  of  the  sap  ;  but  when  it  begins 
to  grow  of  a  molasses  natur',  like  this  in  the  kettle,  one 
mustn't  drive  the  fires  too  hard,  or  you'll  burn  the  sugar ; 
and  burny  sugar  is  bad  to  the  taste,  let  it  be  never  so  sweet. 
So  you  ladle  out  from  one  kettle  into  the  other  till  it 
gets  so,  when  you  put  the  stirring  stick  into  it,  that  it  will 
draw  into  a  thread  —  when  it  takes  a  kerful  hand  to  manage 
it.  There  is  a  way  to  drain  it  off,  after  it  has  grained,  by 
putting  clay  into  the  pans  ;  but  it  isn't  always  practiced ; 
some  doos,  and  some  doosn't.  Well,  Mounsher,  be  we  likely 
10  make  a  trade  ?  " 

"  I  will  give  you,  Mister  Beel,  for  von  pound,  dix  sous." 

"  No,  I  expect  cash  for't ;  I  never  dicker  my  sugar.  But, 
seeing  it's  you,  Mounsher,"  said  Billy,  with  a  coaxing  smile, 
'*  I'll  agree  to  receive  a,  gallon  of  rum,  and  cloth  enough  for 
two  shirts,  if  you  will  take  the  molasses  in  the  bargain.  It's 
.•aal  good.  I  wouldn't  deceive  you  or  any  man  ;  and  to  my 
drinking  it's  about  the  best  molasses  that  come  out  of  a 
sugar-bush." 

"  Mr.  Le  Quoi  has  offered-  you  ten  pence,"  said  young 
Edwards. 

The  manufacturer  stared  at  the  speaker  with  an  air  of 
great  freedom,  but  made  no  reply. 

"  Oui,"  said  the  Frenchman,  "  ten  penny.  Je  vous  re- 
tnercie,  Monsieur :  ah !  mon  Anglais !  je  1'oublie  tou- 
jours." 

The  wood-chopper  looked  from  one  to  the  other  with 
some  displeasure;  and  evidently  imbibed  the  opinion  that 
they  were  amusing  themselves  at  his  expense.  He  seized 
the  enormous  ladle,  which  was  lying  in  one  of  his  kettles, 
ind  began  to  stir  the  boiling  liquid  with  great  dilig3iice« 
Mter  a  moment  passed  in  dipping  the  ladle  full,  and  then 


232  THE  PIONEERS. 

raising  it  on  high,  as  the  thick,  rich  fluid  fell  back  into  the 
kettle,  he  suddenly  gave  it  a  whirl,  as  if  to  cool  what  yet 
remained,  and  offered  the  bowl  to  Mr.  Le  Quoi,  saying, — 

"  Taste  that,  Mounsher,  and  you  will  say  it  is  wortli 
moie  than  you  offer.  The  molasses  itself  would  fetch  the 
money." 

The  complaisant  Frenchman,  after  several  timid  efforts 
to  trust  his  lips  in  contact  with  the  bowl  of  the  ladle  got  a 
good  swallow  of  the  scalding  liquid.  He  clapped  his  hand 
on  his  breast  and  looked  most  piteously  at  the  ladies,  for  a 
single  instant ;  and  then,  to  use  the  language  of  Billy,  when 
he  afterwards  recounted  the  tale, "  No  drumsticks  ever  went 
faster  on  the  skin  of  a  sheep,  than  the  Frenchman's  legs, 
for  a  round  or  two  :  and  then  such  swearing  and  spitting  in 
French  you  never  saw.  But  it's  a  knowing  one,  from  the 
old  countries,  that  thinks  to  get  his  jokes  smoothly  over  & 
wood- chopper." 

The  air  of  innocence  with  which  Kirb'y  resumed  the  oc 
cupation  of  stirring  the  contents  of  his  kettle  would  have 
completely  deceived  the  spectators  as  to  his  agency  in  the 
temporary  suffering  of  Mr.  Le  Quoi,  had  not  the  reckless 
fellow  thrust  his  tongue  into  his  cheek,  and  cast  his  eyes 
over  the  party,  with  a  simplicity  of  expression  that  was  too 
exquisite  to  be  natural.  Mr.  Le  Quoi  soon  recovered  his 
presence  of  mind,  arid  his  decorum  ;  he  briefly  apologized 
to  the  ladies  for  one  or  two  very  intemperate  expressions 
that  had  escaped  him  in  a  moment  of  extraordinary  excite- 
•nent,  and  remounting  his  horse,  he  continued  in  the  back 
ground  during  the  remainder  of  the  visit,  the  wit  of  Kirby 
putting  a  violent  termination,  at  once,  to  all  negotiations  on 
v'he  subject  of  trade.  During  all  this  time,  Marmaduke  had 
•  been  wandering  about  the  grove,  making  observations  on 
his  favorite  trees,  and  the  wasteful  manner  in  which  the 
wood-chopper  conducted  his  manufacture. 

"  It  grieves  me  to  witness  the  extravagance  that  pervades 
this  country,"  said  the  Judge,  "  where  the  settlers  trifle  with 
the  blessings  they  might  enjoy,  with  the  prodigality  of  suc 
cessful  adventurers.  You  are  not  exempt  from  the  censure 
yourself,  Kirby,  for  you  niake  dreadful  wounds  in  these 


THE  PIONEERS.  "23% 

trees  where  a  small  incision  would  effect  the  same  object, 
I  earnestly  beg  you  will  remember  that  they  are  the 
growth  of  centuries,  and  when  once  gone,  none  living  will 
see  their  loss  remedied." 

"  Why,  I  don't  know,  Judge,"  returned  the  man  he  ad 
dressed  :  "  it  seems  to  me,  if  there's  a  plenty  of  anything 
in  this  mountaynious  country,  it's  the  trees.  If  there's  any 
sin  in  chopping  them,  I've  a  pretty  heavy  account  to  settle 
for  I've  chopped  over  the  best  half  of  a  thousand  acres, 
with  my  own  hands,  counting  both  Varmount  and  York 
States ;  and  I  hope  to  live  to  finish  the  hull,  before  I  lay 
up  my  axe.  Chopping  comes  quite  natural  to  me,  and  I 
wish  no  other  employment ;  but  Jared  Ransom  said  that 
he  thought  the  sugar  was  likely  to  be  scurce  this  sea 
son,  seeing  that  so  many  folks  was  coming  into  the  settle 
ment,  and  so  I  concluded  to  take  the  '  bush '  on  sheares,  for 
this  one  spring.  What's  the  best  news,  Judge,  consarning 
ashes  ?  do  pots  hold  so  that  a  man  can  live  by  them  still  ? 
I  s'pose  they  will,  if  they  keep  on  fighting  across  the 
water." 

"  Thou  reasonest  with  judgment,  William,"  returned 
Marmaduke.  "  So  long  as  the  old  world  is  to  be  convulsed 
with  wars,  so  long  will  the  harvest  of  America  continue." 

"  Well,  it's  an  ill  wind,  Judge,  that  blows  nobody  any  good. 
I'm  sure  the  country  is  in  a  thriving  way ;  and,  though  I 
know  you  calkilate  greatly  on  the  trees,  setting  as  much 
store  by  them  as  some  men  would  by  their  children,  yet  to 
my  eyes  they  are  a  sore  sight  at  any  time,  unless  I'm  priv 
ileged  to  work  my  will  on  them ;  in  which  case  I  can't 
say  but  they  are  more  to  my  liking.  I  have  heard  the  set 
tlers  from  the  old  countries  say  that  their  rich  men  keep 
jreat  oaks  and  elms,  that  would  make  a  barrel  of  pots  to 
the  tree,  standing  round  their  doors  and  humsteads,  and 
scattered  over  their  farms,  just  to  look  at.  Now,  I  call  no 
country  much  improved,  that  is  pretty  well  covered  with 
trees.  Stumps  are  a  different  thing,  for  they  don't  shade 
Jie  land  ;  and  besides,  if  you  dig  them,  they  make  a  fence 
that  will  turn  anything  bigger  than  a  hog,  being  grand 
for  breachy  cattle." 


234  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  Opinions  on  such  subjects  vary  much  in  different  conn* 
tries,"  said  Marmaduke  ;  "  but  it  is  not  as  ornaments  that  1 
value  the  noble  trees  of  this  country  ;  it  is  for  their  useful 
ness.  We  are  stripping  the  forests,  as  if  a  single  year 
would  replace  what  we  destroy.  But  the  hour  approaches 
when  ihe  laws  will  take  notice  of  not  only  the  woods,  but 
the  game  they  contain  also." 

With  this  consoling  reflection,  Marmaduke  remounted, 
and  the  equestrians  passed  the  sugar-camp,  on  their  way  to 
the  promised  landscape  of  Richard.  The  wood-chopper 
was  left  alone,  in  the  bosom  of  the  forest,  to  pursue  his 
labors.  Elizabeth  turned  her  head,  when  they  reached  the 
point  where  they  were  to  descend  the  mountain,  and 
thought  that  the  slow  fires  that  were  glimmering  under  his 
enormous  kettles,  his  little  brush  shelter,  covered  with 
pieces  of  hemlock  bark,  his  gigantic  size,  as  he  wielded  his 
ladle  with  a  steady  and  knowing  air,  aided  by  the  back 
ground  of  stately  trees,  with  their  spouts  and  troughs, 
formed,  ail  together,  no  unreal  picture  of  human  life  in  its 
first  stages  of  civilization.  Perhaps  whatever  the  scene 
possessed  of  a  romantic  character  was  not  injured  by  the 
powerful  tones  of  Kirby's  voice  ringing  through  the  woods, 
as  he  again  awoke  his  strains  to  another  tune,  which  was 
but  little  more  scientific  than  the  former.  All  that  she  un 
derstood  of  the  words  were,  — ^ 

"  And  when  the  proud  forest  is  falling, 
To  my  oxen  cheerfully  calluig, 
From  morn  until  night  I  am  bawling, 
Woa,  back  there,  and  hoy  and  gee; 
Till  our  labor  is  mutually  ended, 
By  my  strength  and  cattle  befriended, 
And  against  the  mosquitoes  defended, 
By  the  bark  of  the  walnut-tree. 

«  Away !  then,  you  lads  who  would  buy  land, 
Choose  the  oak  that  grows  on  the  high  Uod, 
Or  the  silvery  pine  on  the  dry  land, 
It  matters  but  little  to  me." 


THE  PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Speed!  Malise,  speed!  such  cause  rf hxate 
Thine  active  sinews  never  braced. 

SOOTT. 

THE  roads  of  Otsego,  if  we  except  the  principal  highways, 
if  ere,  at  the  early  day  of  our  tale,  but  little  better  than 
woodpaths.  The  high  trees  that  were  growing  on  the  very 
verge  of  the  wheel-tracks  excluded  the  sun's  rays,  unless  at 
meridian ;  and  the  slowness  of  the  evaporation,  united  with 
the  rich  mould  of  vegetable  decomposition  that  covered  the 
whole  country  to  the  depth  of  several  inches,  occasioned 
but  an  indifferent  foundation  for  the  footing  of  travellers. 
Added  to  these  were  the  inequalities  of  a  natural  surface, 
and  the  constant  recurrence  of  enormous  and  slippery  roots 
that  were  laid  bare  by  the  removal  of  the  light  soil,  together 
with  stumps  of  trees,  to  make  a  passage  not  only  difficult 
but  dangerous.  Yet  the  riders,. among  these  numerous  ob 
structions,  which  were  such  as  would  terrify  an  unpracticed 
eye,  gave  no  demonstrations  of  uneasiness,  as  their  horses 
toiled  through  the  sloughs,  or  trotted  with  uncertain  paces 
along  the  dark  route.  In  many  places,  the  marks  on  th«& 
trees  were  the  only  indications  of  a  road,  with  perhaps  aci 
occasional  remnant  of  a  pine,  that,  by  being  cut  close  to  the 
earth,  so  as  to  leave  nothing  visible  but  its  base  of  roots, 
spreading  for  twenty  feet  in  every  direction,  was  apparently 
placed  there  as  a  beacon  to  warn  the  traveller  that  it  was 
the  centre  of  a  highway. 

Into  one  of  these  roads  the  active  Sheriff  led  the  way,  first 
striking  out  of  the  footpath,  by  which  they  had  descended 
from  the  sugar  bush,  across  a  little  bridge,  formed  of  round 
ogs  laid  loosely  on  sleepers  of  pine,  in  which  large  openings 
of  a  formidable  width  were  frequent.  The  nag  of  Richard, 


236  THE  PIONEERS. 

when  it  reached  one  of  these  gaps,  laid  its  nose  along  the 
logs,  and  stepped  across  the  difficult  passage  with  the  sagac 
ity  of  a  man ;  but  the  blooded  filly  which  Miss  Temple 
rode  disdained  so  humble  a  movement.  She  made  a  step 
or  two  with  an  unusual  caution,  and  then  on  reaching  the 
broadest  opening,  obedient  to  the  curb  and  whip  of  her  fear 
less  mistress,  she  bounded  across  the  dangerous  pass  with 
the  activity  of  a  squirrel. 

"  Gently,  gently,  my  child,"  said  Marmaduke,  who  was 
following  in  the  manner  of  Richard,  "  this  is  not  a  country 
for  equestrian  feats.  Much  prudence  is  requisite  to  journey 
through  our  rough  paths  with  safety.  Thou  mayst  practice 
thy  skill  in  horsemanship  on  the  plains  of  New  Jersey  with 
safety ;  but  in  the  hills  of  Otsego  they  may  be  suspended 
for  a  time." 

"  I  may  as  well  then  relinquish  my  saddle  at  once,  dear 
sir,"  returned  his  daughter ;  "  for  if  it  is  to  be  laid  aside 
until  this  wild  country  be  improved,  old  age  will  overtake 
me,  and  put  an  end  to  what  you  term  my  equestrian  feats." 

"  Say  not  so,  my  child,"  returned  her  father ;  "  but  if  thou 
venturest  again,  as  in  crossing  this  bridge,  old  age  will  never 
overtake  thee,  but  I  shall  be  left  to  mourn  thee,  cut  off  in 
thy  pride,  my  Elizabeth.  If  thou  hadst  seen  this  district  of 
country,  as  I  did,  when  it  lay  in  the  sleep  of  nature,  and  had 
witnessed  its  rajml  changes,  as.it  awoke  to  supply  the  wants 
of  man,  thou  wouldst  curb  thy  impatience  for  a  little  time, 
though  thou  shouldst  not  check  thy  steed." 

"  I  recollect  hearing  you  speak  of  your  first  visit  to  these 
woods,  but  the  impression  is  faint,  and  blended  with  the 
confused  images  of  childhood.  Wild  and  unsettled  as  it 
may  yet  seem,  it  must  have  been  a  thousand  times  more 
dreary  then.  Will  you  repeat,  dear  sir,  what  you  then 
thought  of  your  enterprise,  and  what  you  felt  ?  " 

During  this  speech  of  Elizabeth,  which  was  uttered  with 
the  fervor  of  affection,  young  Edwards  rode  more  closely  to 
the  side  of  the  Judge,  and  bent  his  dark  eyes  on  his  counte 
nance  with  an  expression  that  seemed  to  read  his  thoughts. 

"Thou  wast  then  young,  my  child,  but  must  remember 
when  I  left  thee  and  thy  mother,  to  take  my  first  survey  of 


THE   PIONEERS.  237 

these  uninhabited  mountains,"  said  Marmaduke.  "  But  thou 
dost  not  feel  all  the  secret  motives  that  can  urge  a  man  to 
endure  privations  in  order  to  accumulate  wealth.  In  my 
case  they  have  not  been  trifling,  and  God  has  been  ] (leased 
to  smile  on  my  efforts.  If  I  have  encountered  pain,  famine, 
and  disease,  in  accomplishing  the  settlement  of  this  rough 
territory,  I  have  not  the  misery  of  failure  to  add  to  the 
grievances." 

"  Famine  !  "  echoed  Elizabeth  ;  "  I  thought  this  was  the 
land  of  abundance !  had  you  famine  to  contend  with  ?  " 

"  Even  so,  my  child,"  said  her  father.  "  Those  who  look 
around  them  now,  and  see  the  loads  of  produce  that  issue 
out  of  every  wild  path  in  these  mountains,  during  the  sea 
son  of  travelling,  will  hardly  credit  that  no  more  than  five 
years  have  elapsed,  since  the  tenants  of  these  woods  were 
compelled  to  eat  the  scanty  fruits  of  the  forest  to  sustain 
life,  and,  with  their  unpracticed  skill,  to  hunt  the  beasts  as 
food  for  their  starving  families."' 

"  Aye  ! "  cried  Richard,  who  happened  to  overhear  the 
last  of  this  speech,  between  the  notes  of  the  wood-chopper's 
Boug,  which  he  was  endeavoring  to  breathe  aloud ;  "  that 
was  the  starving  time,1  cousin  Bess.  I  grew  as  lank  as  a 
weasel  that  fall,  and  my  face  was  as  pale  as  one  of  youi 
fever-and-ague  visages.  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  there,  fell  away 
like  a  pumpkin  in  drying ; .  nor  do  I  think  you  have  got 
fairly  over  it  yet,  Monsieur.  Benjamin,  I  thought,  bore  it 
with  a  worse  grace  than  any  of  the  family  ;  for  he  swore  it 
was  harder  to  endure  than  a  short  allowance  in  the  calm 
•atitudes.  Benjamin  is  a  sad  fellow  to  swear,  if  you  starve 
aim  ever  so  little.  I  had  a  half  a  mind  to  quit  you  then, 

1  The  author  has  no  better  apology  for  interrupting  the  interest  of  a  work  of 
fiction  by  these  desultory  dialogues,  than  that  they  have  reference  to  facts. 
In  reviewing  his  work,  after  so  many  years,  he  is  compelled  to  confess  it  is  in 
jured  by  too  many  allusions  to  incidents  that  are  not  at  all  suited  to  satisfy 
the  just  expectations  of  the  general  reader.  One  of  these  events  is  slightly 
touched  on,  in  the  commencement  of  this  chapter. 

More  than  thirty  years  since,  a  very  near  and  dear  relative  of  the  writer,  an 
cider  sister  and  a  second  mother,  was  killed  by  a  fall  from  a  horse,  in  a  ride 
among  the  very  mountains  mentioned  in  this  tale.  Few  of  her  sex  and  years 
were  more  extensively  known,  or  more  universally  beloved,  than  the  admirable 
woman  who  thus  fell  a  victim  to  the  chances  of  the  wilderness. 


238  THE   PIONEERS. 

'Duke,  and  to  go  into  Pennsylvania  to  fatten  ;  but,  damn  it 
thinks  I,  we  are  sisters'  children,  and  I  will  live  or  die  with 
him,  after  all." 

"  I  do  not  forget  thy  kindness,"  said  Marmaduke,  "  m.r 
that  we  are  of  one  blood."  , 

"  But,  my  dear  father,"  cried  the  wondering  Elizabeth. 
"  was  there  actual  suffering  ?  where  were  the  beautiful  and 
fertile  vales  of  the  Mohawk  ?  could  they  not  furnish  feed  for 
your  wants  ?  " 

"  It  was  a  season  of  scarcity ;  the  necessities  of  life  com 
manded  a  high  price  in  Europe,  and  were  greedily  sought 
after  by  the  speculators.  The  emigrants,  from  the  east  "to 
the  west,  invariably  passed  along  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk, 
and  swept  away  the  means  of  subsistence,  like  a  swarm  of 
locusts.  Nor  were  the  people  on  the  Flajs^in  a  much  bet 
ter  condition.  They  were  in  want  "themselves,  but  they 
spared  the  little  excess  of  provisions  that  nature  did  not  ab 
solutely  require,  with  the  justice  of  the  German  character. 
There  was  no  grinding  of  the  poor.  The  word  speculator 
was  then  unknown  to  them.  I  have  seen  many  a  stout 
man,  bending  under  the  load  of  the  bag  of  meal,  which  he 
was  carrying  from  the  mills  of  the  Mohawk,  through  the 
rugged  passes  of  these  mountains,  to  feed  his  half-famished 
children,  with  a  heart  so  light,  as  he  approached  his  hut, 
that  the  thirty  miles  he  had  passed  seemed  nothing.  Re 
member,  my  child,  it  was  in  our  very  infancy  ;  we  had  neither 
mills,  nor  grain,  nor  roads,  nor  often  clearings ;  we  had 
nothing  of  increase,  but  the  mouths  that  were  to  be  fed ; 
for,  even  at  that  inauspicious  moment,  the  restless  spirit  of 
emigration  was  not  idle  ;  nay,  the  general  scarcity  ^hich 
extended  to  the  east,  tended  to  increase  the  number  of  ad 
venturers." 

"And  how,  dearest  father,  didst  thou  encounter  this 
dreadful  evil?"  said  Elizabeth,  unconsciously  adopting  tlit 
dialect  of  her  parent  in  the  warmth  of  her  sympathy 
"  Upon  thee  must  have  fallen  the  responsibility,  if  not  the 
suffering." 

"  It  did,  Elizabeth,"  returned  the  Judge,  pausing  for  a 
single  moment,  as  if  musing  on  his  former  feelings.  "  I  had 


THE  PIONEERS.  239 

hundreds,  at  that  dreadful  time,  daily 'looking  up  to  me  for 
bread.  The  sufferings  of  their  families,  and  the  gloomy 
prospect  before  them,  had  paralyzed  the  enterprise  and 
efforts  of  my  settlers ;  hunger  drove  them  to  the  woods  for 
food,  but  despair  sent  them  at  night,  enfeebled  and  wan,  to 
a  sleepless  pillow.  It  was  not  a  moment  for  inaction.  I 
purchased  cargoes  of  wheat  from  the  granaries  of  Penusyl- 
vania ;  they  were  -landed  at  Albany,  and  brought  up  the 
Mohawk  in  boats ;  from  thence  it  was  transported  on  pack- 
horses  into  the  wilderness,  and  distributed  among  my  peo 
ple.  Semes  were  made,  and  the  lakes  and  rivers  were 
dragged  for  fish.  Something  like  a  miracle  was  wrought  ia 
our  favor,  for  enormous  shoals  of  herrings  were  discovered 
to  have  wandered  five  hundred  miles,  through  the  windings 
of  the  impetuous  Susquehanna,  and  the  lake  was  alive  with 
their  numbers.  These  were  at  length  caught,  and  dealt 
out  to  the  people,  with  proper  portions  of  salt ;  and  fron. 
that  moment  we  again  began  to  prosper." l 

"  Yes,"  cried  Richard,  "  and  I  was  the  man  who  served  out 
the  fish  and  the  salt.  When  the  poor  devils  came  to  receive 
their  rations,  Benjamin,  who  was  my  deputy,  was  obliged 
to  keep  them  off  by  stretching  ropes  around  me,  for  they 
smelt  so  of  garlic,  from  eating  nothing  but  the  wild  onion, 
that  the  fumes  put  me  out  often  in  my  measurement.  You 
were  a  child  then,  Bess,  and  knew  nothing  of  the  matter 
for  great  care  was  observed  to  keep  both  you  and  your 
mother  from  suffering.  That  year  put  me  back  dreadfully, 
both  in  the  breed  of  my  hogs  and  of  my  turkeys." 

"  No,  Bess,"  cried  the  Judge,  in  a  more  cheerful  tono, 
disregarding  the  interruption  of  his  cousin,  "  he  who  hears 
of  the  settlement  of  a  country  knows  but  little  of  the  toil 
and  suffering  by  which  it  is  accomplished.  Unimproved 
and  wild  as  this  district  now  seems  to  your  eyes,  what  was 
it  when  I  first  entered  the  hills  !  I  left  my  party,  the 
morning  of  my  arrival,  near  the  farms  of  the  Cherry  Valley, 
and,  following  a  deer-path,  rode  to  the  summit  of  the  moun 
tain  that  I  have  since  called  Mount  Vision ;  for  the  sight 
that  there  met  my  'eyes  seemed  to  me  as  the  deceptions  of  a 

*  All  thii  was  literally  true. 


240  THE  PIONEERS. 

dream.  The  fire  had  run  over  the  pinnacle,  and,  in  a  great 
measure,  laid  open  the  view.  The  leaves  were  fallen,  and 
I  mounted  a  tree,  and  sat  for  an  hour  looking  on  the  silent 
wilderness.  Not  an  opening  was  to  be  seen  in  the  bound 
less  forest,  except  where  the  lake  lay,  like  a  mirro?  of  glass. 
The  water  was  covered  by  myriads  of  the  wild-fowl  that 
migrate  with  the  changes  in  the  season ;  and,  while  in  my 
situation  on  the  branch  of  the  beech,  I  saw  a  bear,  with  her 
cubs,  descend  to  the  shore  to  drink.  I  had  met  many  deer, 
gliding  through  the  woods,  in  my  journey ;  but  not  the 
vestige  of  a  man  could  I  trace  during  my  progress,  nor  from 
my  elevated  observatory.  No  clearing,  no  hut,  none  of  the 
winding  roads  that  are  now  to  be  seen,  were  there ;  nothing 
but  mountains  rising  behind  mountains;  and  the  valleyv 
with  its  surface  of  branches,  enlivened  here  and  there  with 
the  faded  foliage  of  some  tree,  that  parted  from  its  leaves 
with  more  than  ordinary  reluctance.  Even  the  Susque- 
hanna  was  then  hid,  by  the  height  and  density  of  the 
forest." 

"  And  were  you  alone  ?  "  asked  Elizabeth  ;  "  passed  you 
the  night  in  that  solitary  state  ?  " 

"  Not  so,  my  child,"  returned  her  father.  "  After  musing 
on  the  scene  for  an  hour,  with  a  mingled  feeling  of  pleasure 
and  desolation,  I  left  my  perch  and  descended  the  mountain. 
My  horse  was  left  to  browse  on  the  twigs  that  grew  within 
his  reach,  while  I  explored  the  shores  of  the  lake,  and  the 
spot  where  Templeton  stands.  A  pine  of  more  than  ordi 
nary  growth  stood  where  my  dwelling  is  now  placed!1  a 
wind-row  had  been  opened  through  the  trees  from  thence 
to  the  lake,  and  my  view  was  but  little  impeded.  Under 
the  branches  of  that  tree  I  made  my  solitary  dinner ;  I  had 
just  finished  my  repast  as  I  saw  a  smoke  curling  from 
under  the  mountain,  near  the  eastern  bank  of  the  lake.  It 
was  the  only  indication  of  the  vicinity  of  man  that  I  had 
then  seen.  After  much  toil  I  made  my  way  to  the  spot, 
and  found  a  rough  cabin  of"  logs,  built  against  the  foot  of  a 
rock,  and  bearing  the  marks  of  a  tenant,  though  I  found  no 
one  within  it"  — 

"  It  was  the  hut  of  Leather-Stocking,"  said  Edwards, 
quickly. 


THE  PIONEERS.  241 

"  It  was ;  though  I  at  first  supposed  it  to  be  a  habitation 
of  the  Indians.  But  while  I  was  lingering  around  the  spot, 
Natty  made  his  appearance,  staggering  under  the  carcass 
of  a  buck  that  he  had  slain.  Our  acquaintance  commenced 
at  that  time ;  before,  I  had  never  heard  that  such  a  being 
tenanted  the  woods.  He  launched  his  bark  canoe,  and  set 
me  across  the  foot  of  the  lake,  to  the  place  where  I  had 
fastened  my  horse,  and  pointed  out  a  spot  where  he  might 
get  a  scanty  browsing  until  the  morning ;  when  I  returned 
and  passed  the  night  in  the  cabin  of  the  hunter." 

Miss  Temple  was  so  much  struck  by  the  deep  attention 
of  young  Edwards,  during  this  speech,  that  she  forgot  to 
resume  her  interrogatories  ;  but  the  youth  himself  continued 
the  discourse,  by  asking,  — 

"  And  how  did  the  Leather-Stocking  discharge  the  duties 
of  a  host,  sir  ?  " 

"  Why,  simply  but  kindly,  until  late  in  the  evening,  when 
he  discovered  my  name  and  object,  and  the  cordiality  of  his 
manner  very  sensibly  diminished,  or,  I  might  better  say, 
disappeared.  Pie  considered  the  introduction  of  the  settlers 
as  an  innovation  on  his  rights,  I  believe ;  for  he  expressed 
much  dissatisfaction  at  the  measure,  though  it  was  in  hia 
confused  and  ambiguous  manner.  I  hardly  understood  hia 
objections  myself,  but  supposed  they  referred  chiefly  to  an 
interruption  of  the  hunting." 

"  Had  you  then  purchased  the  estate,  or  were  you 
examining  it  with  an  intent  to  buy  ?  "  asked  Edwards,  a 
little  abruptly. 

"It  had  been  mine  for  several  years.  It  was  with  a 
view  to  people  the  land  that  I  visited  the  lake.  Natty 
treated  me  hospitably,  but  coldly,  I  thought,  after  he  learned 
the  nature  of  my  journey.  I  slept  on  his  own  bearskin, 
however,  and  in  the  morning  joined  my  surveyors  again." 

"  Said  he  nothing  of  the  Indian  rights,  sir?  The  Leather- 
Stocking  is  much  given  to  impeach  the  justice  of  the  tenure 
by  which  the  whites  hold  the  country." 

"  I  remember  that  he  spoke  of  them,  but  I  did  not 
clearly  comprehend  him,  and  may  have  forgotten  what  he 
»aid ;  for  the  Indian  title  was  extinguished  so  far  back  ai 
13 


242  THE  PIONEEKS. 

the  close  of  the  old  war ;  and  if  it  had  not  been  at  all,  I 
hold  under  the  patents  of  the  royal  governors,  confirmed 
by  an  act  of  our  own  State  legislature,  and  no  court  in 
the  country  can  affect  my  title." 

"  Doubtless,  sir,  your  title  is  both  legal  and  equitable,"1 
returned  the  youth,  coldly,  reining  his  horse  back,  and 
remaining  silent  till  the  subject  was  changed. 

It  was  seldom  Mr.  Jones  suffered  any  conversation  to 
continue  for  a  great  length  of  time  without  his  participation. 
It  seems  .that  he  was  of  the  party  that  Judge  Temple  had 
designated  as  his  surveyois;  and  he  embraced  the  oppor 
tunity  of  the  pause  that  succeeded  the  retreat  of  young 
Edwards,  to  take  up  the  discourse,  and  with  it  a  narration 
of  their  further  proceedings,  after  his  own  manner.  As  it 
wanted,  however,  the  interest  that  had  accompanied  the 
description  of  the  Judge,  we  must  decline  the  task  of  com 
mitting  his  sentences  to  paper. 

They  soon  reached  the  point  where  the  promised  view 
was  to  be  seen.  It  was  one  of  those  picturesque  and 
peculiar  scenes  that  belong  to  the  Otsego,  but  which  re 
quired  the  absence  of  the  ice,  and  the  softness  of  a  summer's 
landscape,  to  be  enjoyed  in  all  its  beauty.  Marmaduke  had 
early  forewarned  his  daughter  of  the  season,  and  of  its 
effect  on  the  prospect ;  and  after  casting  a  cursory  glance 
at  its  capabilities,  the  party  returned  homeward,  perfectly 
satisfied  that  its  beauties  would  repay  them  for  the  toil 
of  a  second  ride,  at  a  more  propitious  season. 

"  The  spring  is  the  gloomy  time  of  the  American  year," 
said  the  Judge ;  "  and  it  is  more  peculiarly  the  case  in 
these  mountains.  The  winter  seems  to  retreat  to  the  fast 
nesses  of  the  hills,  as  to  the  citadel  of  its  dominion,  and  is 
only  expelled  after  a  tedious  siege,  in  which  either  party,  at 
tunes,  would  seem  to  be  gaining  the  victory." 

"A  very  just  and  apposite  figure,  Judge  Temple."  ob 
served  the  Sheriff ;  "  and  the  garrison  under  the  command 
of  Jack  Frost  make  formidable  sorties  —  you  understand 
what  I  mean  by  sorties,  Monsieur ;  sallies  in  English  —  and 
sometimes  .drive  General  Spring  and  his  troops  back  again 
Into  the  low  countries." 


THE   PIONEERS.  243 

u  Yes,  sair,"  returned  the  Frenchman,  whose  prominent 
eyes  were  watching  the  precarious  footsteps  of  the  beast  he 
rode,  as  it  picked  its  dangerous  way  among  the  roots  of 
trees,  holes,  log-bridges,  and  sloughs,  that  formed  the  aggre 
gate  of  the  highway.  "  Je  vous  entend ;  de  low  countrie  is 
freeze  up  for  half  de  year." 

The  error  of  Mr.  Le  Quoi  was  not  noticed  by  the  Sheriff; 
and  the  rest  of  the  party  were  yielding  to  the  influence  of 
the  changeful  season,  which  was  already  teaching  the  eques 
trians  that  a  continuance  of  its  mildness  was  riot  to  be 
expected  for  any  length  of  time.  Silence  and  thoughtful- 
ness  succeeded  the  gayety  and  conversation  that  had  pre 
vailed  during  the  commencement  of  the  ride,  as  clouds  began 
to  gather  about  the  heavens,  apparently  collecting  from 
every  quarter,  in  quick  motion,  without  the  agency  of  a 
breath  of  air. 

While  riding  over  one  of  the  cleared  eminences  that 
occurred  in  their  route,  the  watchful  eye  of  Judge  Temple 
pointed  out  to  his  daughter  the  approach  of  a  tempest. 
Flurries  of  snow  already  obscured  the  mountain  that  formed 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  lake,  and  the  genial  sensation 
which  had  quickened  the  blood  through  their  veins,  waa 
already  succeeded  by  the  deadening  influence  of  an  ap 
proaching  northwester. 

All  of  the  party  were  now  busily  engaged  in  making  the 
best  of  their  way  to  the  village,  though  the  badness  of  the 
roads  frequently  compelled  them  to  check  the  impatience  of 
their  animals,  which  often  carried  them  over  places  that 
would  not  admit  of  any  gait  foster  than  a  walk. 

Richard  continued  in  advance,  followed  by  Mr.  Le  Quoi , 
next  to  whom  rode  Elizabeth,  who  seemed  to  have  imbibed 
the  distance  which  pervaded  the  manner  of  young  Edwards 
since  the  termination  of  the  discourse  between  the  latter 
and  her  father.  Marmaduke  followed  his  daughter,  giving 
her  frequent  and  tender  warnings  as  to  the  management  cf 
her  horse.  It  was,  possibly,  the  evident  dependence  that 
Louisa  Grant  placed  on  his  assistance,  which  induced  the 
youth  to  continue  by  her  side,  as  they  pursued  their  way 
through  a  dreary  and  dark  wood,  where  the  ravs  of  the  sun 


244  THE  PIONEERS. 

could  but  rarely  penetrate,  and  where  even  the  dayligLi 
was  obscured  and  rendered  gloomy  by  the  deep  forests  th&f 
surrounded  them.  No  wind  had  yet  reached  tbe  spot  whero 
the  equestrians  were  in  motion,  but  that  deau  stillness  that 
often  precedes  a  storm  contributed  to  render  their  situation 
more  irksome  than  if  they  were  already  subject  to  the  fury 
of  the  tempest.  Suddenly  the  voice  of  young  Edwards 
was  heard  shouting  in  those  appalling  tones  that  carr^ 
alarm  to  the  very  soul,  and  which  curdle  the  blood  of  those 
that  hear  them,  — 

"  A  tree  !  a  tree !  whip  —  spur  for  your  lives !  a  tree  !  a 
tree!" 

"  A  tree !  a  tree ! "  echoed  Richard,  giving  his  horse  a 
blow  that  caused  the  alarmed  beast  to  jump  nearly  a  rod, 
throwing  the  mud  and  water  into  the  air  like  a  hurricane. 

"  Von  tree !  von  tree  !  "  shouted  the  Frenchman,  bending 
his  body  on  the  neck  of  his  charger,  shutting  his  eyes,  and 
playing  on  the  ribs  of  his  beast  with  his  heels  at  a  rate  that 
caused  him  to  be  conveyed  on  the  crupper  of  the  Sheriff 
with  a  marvelous  speed. 

Elizabeth  checked  her  filly,  and  looked  up  with  an  un 
conscious  but  alarmed  air,  at  the  very  cause  of  their  danger, 
while  she  listened  to  the  crackling  sounds  that  awoke  the 
stillness  of  the  forest ;  but  the  next  instant  her  bridle  was 
seized  by  her  father,  who  cried,  — 

"  God  protect  my  child ! "  and  she  felt  herself  hurried 
onward,  impelled  by  the  vigor  of  his  nervous  arm. 

Each  one  of  the  party  bowed  to  his  saddle-bows,  as  the 
tearing  of  branches  was  succeeded  by  a  sound  like  the  rush 
ing  of  the  winds,  which  was  followed  by  a  thundering  report, 
and  a  shock  that  caused  the  very  earth  to  tremble,  as  ona 
of  the  noblest  ruins  of  the  forest  fell  directly  across  their 
pa  ;h. 

One  glance  was  enough  to  assure  Judge  Temple  that  his 
daughter,  and  those  in  front  of  him,  were  safe,  and  he  turnec 
his  eyes,  in  dreadful  anxiety,  to  learn  the  fate  of  the  others*. 
Young  Edwards  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  tree,  his 
form  thrown  back  in  his  saddle  to  its  utmost  distance,  his 
left  hand  drawing  up  his  bridle  with  its  greatest  force,  white 


THE  PIONEERS  245 

the  right  grasped  that  of  Miss  Grant,  so  as  to  draw  the 
head  of  her  horse  under  its  body.  Both  the  animals  stood 
shaking  in  every  joint  with  terror,  and  snorting  fearfully. 
Louisa  herself  had  relinquished  her  reins,  and  with  her  hands 
pressed  on  her  face,  sat  bending  forward  in  her  saddle,  in  an 
attitude  of  despair,  mingled  strangely  with  resignation. 

"  Are  you  safe  ?  "  cried  the  Judge,  first  breaking  the  aw« 
ful  silence  of  the  moment. 

"  By  God's  blessing,"  returned  the  youth ;  "  but  if  there 
had  been  branches  to  the  tree  we  must  have  been  lost "  — 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  figure  of  Louisa  slowly  yield 
ing  in  her  saddle  ;  and  but  for  his  arm  she  would  have  sunk 
to  the  earth.  Terror,  however,  was  the  only  injury  that  the 
clergyman's  daughter  had  sustained,  and  with  the  aid  of 
Elizabeth,*  she  was  soon  restored  to  her  senses.  After  some 
little  time  was  lost  in  recovering  her  strength,  the  young 
lady  was  replaced  in  her  saddle,  and  supported  on  either  side 
by  Judge  Temple  and  Mr.  Edwards,  she  was  enabled  to  fol 
low  the  party  in  their  slow  progress. 

"  The  sudden  fallings  of  the  trees,"  said  Marmaduke,  u  are 
the  most  dangerous  accidents  in  the  forest,  for  they  are  not 
to  be  foreseen,  being  impelled  by  no  winds,  nor  any  extra 
neous  or  visible  cause  against  which  we  can  guard." 

"  The  reason  of  their  falling,  Judge  Temple,  is  very  ob- 
rious,"  said  the  Sheriff.  "  The  tree  is  old  and  decayed,  and 
it  is  gradually  weakened  by  the  frosts,  until  a  line  drawn 
from  the  centre  of  gravity  falls  without  its  base,  and  then 
the  tree  comes  of  a  certainty ;  and  I  should  like  to  know 
what  greater  compulsion  there  can  be  for  anything  than  a 
Mathematical  certainty.  I  studied  mathe  —  " 

"  Very  true,  Richard,"  interrupted  Marmaduke  ;  ••  thy 
reasoning  is  true,  and  if  my  memory  be  not  over  treacherous, 
was  furnished  by  myself  on  a  former  occasion.  But  how  is 
'one  to  guard  against  the  danger  ?  canst  thou  go  through  the 
forests,  measuring  the  bases,  and  calculating  the  centres  of 
Hie  oaks  ?  answer  me  that,  friend  Jones,  and  I  will  say  thou 
wilt  do  the  country  a  service." 

"  Answer  thee  that,  friend  Temple  ! "  returned  Richard  ; 
K  a  well  educated  man  can  answer  thee  anything,  sir.  Do 


246  THE  PIONEERS. 

any  trees  fall  in  this  manner  but  such  as  are  decayed? 
Take  care  not  to  approach  the  roots  of  a  rotten  tree,  and 
you  will  be  safe  enough." 

"  That  would  be  excluding  us  entirely  from  the  forests," 
said  Marmaduke.  "  But,  happily,  the  winds  usually  force 
down  most  of  these  dangerous  ruins,  as  their  currents  are. 
admitted  into  the  woods  by  the  surrounding  clearings,  and 
such  a  fall  as  this  has  been  is  very  rare." 

Louisa,  by  this  time,  had  recovered  so  much  strength  as 
to  allow  the  party  to  proceed  at  a  quicker  pace,  but  long  be 
fore  they  were  safely  housed,  they  were  overtaken  by  the 
storm ;  and  when  they  dismounted  at  the  door  of  the  Man 
sion-house,  the  black  plumes  of  Miss  Temple's  hat  were 
drooping  with  the  weight  of  a  load  of  damp  snow,  and  the 
coats  of  the  gentlemen  were  powdered  with  the  same  ma 
terial. 

While  Edwards  was  assisting  Louisa  from  her  horse,  the 
warm-hearted  girl  caught  his  hand  with  fervor,  and  whis 
pered,  — 

"  Now,  Mr.  Edwards,  both  father  and  daughter  owe  their 
lives  to  you." 

A  driving  northwesterly  storm  succeeded,  and  before  the 
sun  was  set,  every  vestige  of  spring  had  vanished  ;  the  lake, 
the  mountains,  the  village,  the  fields,  being  again  hidden 
loder  one  dazzling  coat  of  snow. 


THE   PIONEERS.  247 


CHAPTER   XXII, 

Men,  boys,  and  girls, 

Desert  th'  unpeopled  village;  and  wild  crowds 
Spread  o'er  the  plain,  by  the  sweet  frenzy  driven. 

SOMERVILLK. 

FROM  this  time  to  the  close  of  April  the  weather  con 
tinued  to  be  a  succession  of  great  and  rapid  changes.  One 
day,  the  soft  airs  of  spring  seemed  to  be  stealing  along  the 
valley,  and  in  unison  with  an  invigorating  sun,  attempting 
covertly  to  rouse  the  dormant  powers  of  the  vegetable 
world ;  while  on  the  next,  the  surly  blasts  from  the  north 
would  sweep  across  the  lake,  and  erase  every  impression  left 
by  their  gentle  adversaries.  The  snow,  however,  finally  dis 
appeared,  and  the  green  wheat-fields  were  seen  in  every 
direction,  spotted  with  the  dark  and  charred  stumps  that  had, 
the  preceding  season,  supported  some  of  the  proudest  trees 
of  the  forest.  Ploughs  were  in  motion,  wherever  those  use 
ful  implements  could  be  used,  and  the  smokes  of  the  sugar- 
camps  were  no  longer  seen  issuing  from  the  woods  of  maple. 
The  lake  had  lost  the  beauty  of  a  field  of  ice,  but  still  a  dark 
ind  gloomy  covering  concealed  its  waters,  for  the  absence 
jf  currents  left  them  yet  hidden  under  a  porous  crust,  which, 
saturated  with  the  fluid,  barely  retained  enough  strength  to 
preserve  the  contiguity  of  its  parts.  Large  flocks  of  wild 
geese  were  seen  passing  over  the  country,  which  hovered, 
for  a  time,  around  the  hidden  sheet  of  water,  apparently 
searching  for  a  resting-place  ;  and  then,  on  finding  them 
selves  excluded  b)  the  chill  covering,  would  soar  away  to 
the  north,  filling  the  air  with  discordant  screams,  as4f  vent 
ing  their  complaints  at  the  tardy  operations  of  nature. 

For  a  week,  the  dark  covering  of  the  Otsego  was  left  to 
the  undisturbed  possession  of  two  eagles,  who  alighted  on  the 
centre  of  its  field,  and  sat  eying  their  undisputed  territory 


THE   PIONEERS. 

During  tlie  presence  of  these  monarchs  of  the  air,  the  riocki 
of  migrating  birds  avoided  crossing  the  plain  of  ice,  by  turn 
ing  into  the  hills,  apparently  seeking  the  protection  of  the 
forests,  while  the  white  and  bald  heads  of  the  tenants  of  the 
lake  were  turned  upwards,  with  a  look  of  contempt.  13ut 
the  time  had  come,  when  even  these  kings  of  birds  were  to 
be  dispossessed.  An  opening  had  been  gradually  increasing 
at  the  lower  extremity  of  the  lake,  and  around  the  dark 
spot  where  the  current  of  the  river  prevented  the  formation 
of  ice,  during  even  the  coldest  weather  ;  and  the  fresh  south 
erly  winds,  that  now  breathed  freely  upon  the  valley,  made  an 
impression  on  the  waters.  Mimic  waves  began  to  curl  over 
the  margin  of  the  frozen  field,  which  exhibited  an  outline  of 
crystallizations  that  slowly  receded  towards  the  north.  At 
each  step  the  power  of  the  winds  and  the  waves  increased, 
until,  after  a  struggle  of  a  few  hours,  the  turbulent  little  bil 
lows  succeeded  in  setting  the  whole  field  in  motion,  when  it 
was  driven  beyond  the  reach  of  the  eye,  with  a  rapidity  that 
was  as  magical  as  the  change  produced  in  the  scene  by  this 
expulsion  of  the  lingering  remnant  of  winter.  Just  as  the 
Last  sheet  of  agitated  ice  was  disappearing  in  the  distance, 
the  eagles  rose,  and  soared  with  a  wide  sweep  above  the 
clouds,  while  the  waves  tossed  their  little  caps  of  snow  into 
the  air,  as  if  rioting  in  their  release  from  a  thralldom  of  five 
months'  duration. 

The  following  morning  Elizabeth  was  awakened  by  the 
exhilarating  sounds  of  the  martins,  who  were  quarreling  and 
chattering  around  the  little  boxes  suspended  above  her  win 
dows,  and  the  cries  of  Richard,  who  was  calling  in  tones  ap- 
imating  as  the  signs  of  the  season  itself,  — 

"  Awake  !  awake  !  my  fair  lady  !  the  gulls  are  hovering 
over  the  lake  already,  and  the  heavens  are  alive  with  pigeons. 
You  may  look  an  hour  before  you  can  find  a  hole  through 
which  to  get  a  peep  at  the  sun.  Awake  !  awake !  lazy  ones ! 
Benjamin  is  overhauling  the  ammunition,  and  we  only  wait 
for  our  breakfasts,  and  away  for  the  mountains  and  pigeon 
shooting." 

There  was  no  resisting  this  animated  appeal,  and  in  a 
*ew  minutes  Miss  Temple  and  her  friend  descended  to  the 


THE  PIONEERS.  249 

parlor.  The  doors  of  the  hall  were  thrown  opeJ,  and  the 
mild,  balmy  air  of  a  clear  spring  morning  was  ventilating 
the  apartment,  where  the  vigilance  of  the  ex-steward  had 
been  so  long  maintaining  an  artificial  heat  with  such  un- 
remitted  diligence.  The  gentlemen  were  impatiently  wait 
ing  for  their  morning's  repast,  each  equipped  in  the  garb 
of  a  sportsman.  Mr.  Jones  made  many  visits  to  the 
southern  door,  and  would  cry,  — 

"  See,  cousin  Bess  !  see,  'Duke,  the  pigeon-roosts  of  the 
south  have  broken  up  !  They  are  growing  more  thick  every 
instant.  Here  is  a  flock  that  the  eye  cannot  see  the  end 
of.  There  is  food  enough  in  it  to  keep  the  army  of  Xerxes 
for  a  month,  and  feathers  enough  to  make  beds  for  the 
whole  country.  Xerxes,  Mr.  Edwards,  was  a  Grecian 
king,  who  —  no,  he  was  a  Turk,  or  a  Persian,  who  wanted 
to  conquer  Greece,  just  the  same  as  these  rascals  will 
overrun  our  wheat-fields,  when  they  come  back  in .  the  fall 
Away !  away !  Bess  ;  I  long  to  pepper  them." 

In  this  wish  both  Marmaduke  and  young  Edwards 
seemed  equally  to  participate,  for  the  sight  was  exhilarat 
ing  to  a  sportsman  ;  arid  the  ladies  soon  dismissed  the  party 
after  a  hasty  breakfast. 

If  the  heavens  were  alive  with  pigeons,1  the  whole  vil 
lage  seemed  equally  in  motion,  with  men,  women,  and 
children.  Every  species  of  fire-arms,  from  the  French 
ducking-gun  with  a  barrel  near  six  feet  in  length,  to  the 
common  horseman's  pistol,  was  to  be  seen  in  the  hands  of 
the  men  and  boys ;  while  bows  and  arrows,  some  made  of 
the  simple  stick  of  a  walnut  sapling,  and  others  in  a  rude 
imitation  of  the  ancient  cross-bows,  were  carried  by  many 
oi  the  latter. 

The  houses  and  the  signs  of  life  apparent  in  the  village, 
drove  the  alarmed  birds  from  the  direct  line  of  their  flight, 
toward  the  mountains,  along  the  sides  and  near  the  bases  of 
which  they  were  glancing  in  dense  masses,  equally  wonder 
Pul  by  the  rapidity  of  their  motion,  and  their  incredible 
numbei  s. 

We  have  already  said,  that  across  the  inclined  plane 
which  ftll  from  the  steep  ascent  of  the  mountain  to  th« 

*  See  Appendix,  Not*  I. 


250  THE  PIONEERS. 

banks  of  the  Susquehanna,  ran  the  highway,  on  either  side 
of  which  a  clearing  of  many  acres  had  been  made  at  a  very 
early  day.  Over  those  clearings,  and  up  the  eastern  moun 
tain,  and  along  the  dangerous  path  that  was  cut  into  its 
side,  the  different  individuals  posted  themselves,  and  in  ft 
few  moments  the  attack  commenced. 

Among  the  sportsmen  was  the  tall,  gaunt  form  of  Leath 
er-Stocking  walking  over  the  field,  with  his  rifle  hanging  on 
his  arm,  his  dogs  at  his  heels  ;  the  latter  now  scenting  the 
dead  or  wounded  birds,  that  were  beginning  to  tumble 
from  the  flocks,  and  then  crouching  under  the  legs  of  their 
master,  as  if  they  participated  in  his  feelings  at  this  waste 
ful  and  unsportsmanlike  execution. 

The  reports  of  the  fire-arms  became  rapid,  whole  volleys 
rising  from  the  plain,  as  flocks  of  more  than  ordinary  num 
bers  darted  over  the  opening,  shadowing  the  field  like  a 
cloud  ;  and  then  the  light  smoke  of  a  single  piece  would 
issue  from  among  the  leafless  bushes  on  the  mountain,  as  death 
was  hurled  on  the  retreat  of  the  affrighted  birds,  who  were 
rising  from  a  volley,  in  a  vain  effort  to  escape.  Arrows, 
and  missiles  of  every  kind  were  in  the  mids,  of  the  flocks  ; 
and  so  numerous  were  the  birds,  arid  so  low  did  they  take 
their  flight,  that  even  long  poles,  in  the  hands  of  those  on  the 
sides  of  the  mountain,  were  used  to  strike  them  to  the  earth. 

During  all  this  time,  Mr.  Jones,  who  disdained  the  hum 
ble  and  ordinary  means  of  destruction  used  by  his  compan 
ions,  was  busily  occupied,  aided  by  Benjamin,  in  making 
arrangements  for  an  assault  of  more  than  ordinarily  fatal 
character.  Among  the  relics  of  the  old  military  excursions, 
that  occasionally  are  discovered  throughout  the  different 
districts  of  the  western  part  of  New  York,  there  had  been 
found  in  Templeton,  at  its  settlement,  a  small  swivel,  which 
would  carry  a  ball  of  a  pound  weight.  Jt  was  thought  to 
have  been  deserted  by  a  war  party  of  the  whites,  in  one  of 
dieir  inroads  into  the  Indian  settlements,  when,  perhaps,  con 
venience  or  their  necessity  induced  them  to  leave  such  an 
Lucumbrance  behind  them  in  the  woods.  This  miniature 
cannon  had  been  released  from  the  rust,  and  being  mounted 
au  little  wheels,  was  now  in  a  state  for  actual  service 


THE  PIONEERS.  251 

Foi  several  years,  it  was  the  sole  organ  for  extraordinaii 
rejoicings  used  in  those  mountains.  On  the  mornings  o* 
the  Fourths  of  July,  it  would  be  heard  ringing  among  the 
hills  ;  and  even  Captain  Hollister,  who  was  the  highest  au 
thority  in  that  part  of  the  country  on  all  such  occasions,  af 
firmed  that,  considering  its  dimensions,  it  was  no  despicable 
gun  for  a  salute.  It  was  somewhat  the  worse  for  the  service 
it  had  performed,  it  is  true,  there  being  but  a  trifling  differ 
ence  in  size  between  the  touch-hole  and  the  muzzle.  Still, 
the  grand  conceptions  of  Richard  had  suggested  the  impor 
tance  of  such  an  instrument  in  hurling  death  at  his  nimble 
enemies.  The  swivel  was  dragged  by  a  horse  into  a  part 
of  the  open  space  that  the  Sheriff  thought  most  eligible  for 
planting  a  battery  of  the  kind,  and  Mr.  Pump  proceeded  to 
load  it.  Several  haridfuls  of  duck-shot  were  placed  on  top 
of  the  powder,  and  the  major-domo  announced  that  his  piece 
was  ready  for  service. 

The  sight  of  such  an  implement  collected  all  the  idle 
spectators  to  the  spot,  who,  being  mostly  boys,  filled  the  air 
with  cries  of  exultation  and  delight.  The  gun  was  pointed 
high,  and  Richard,  holding  a  coal  of  fire  in  a  pair  of  tonga, 
patiently  took  his  seat  on  a  stump,  awaiting  the  appearance 
of  a  flock  worthy  of  his  notice. 

So  prodigious  was  the  number  of  the  birds,  that  the 
scattering  fire  of  the  guns,  with  the  hurling  of  missiles,  and 
the  cries  of  the  boys,  had  no  other  effect  than  to  break  off 
small  flocks  from  the  immense  masses  that  continued  to 
dart  along  the  valley,  as  if  the  whole  of  the  feathered  tribe 
were  pouring  through  that  one  pass.  None  pretended  to 
collect  the  game,  which  lay  scattered  over  the  fields  in  such 
profusion  as  to  cover  the  very  ground  with  the  fluttering 
victims. 

Leather-Stocking  was  a  silent,  but  uneasy  spectator  of 
all  these  proceedings,  but  was  able  to  keep  his  sentiments 
to  himself  until  he  saw  the  introduction  of  the  swivel  into 
the  sports. 

"  This  comes  of  settling  a  country ! "  he  said  ;  "  here 
have  I  known  the  pigeons  to  fl}*  for  forty  long  years,  and, 
till  you  made  your  clearings,  there  was  nobody  to  skear  of 


252  THE   HONKERS. 

to  hurt  them.  I  Joved  to  see  them  in  the  woods,  for  they 
were  company  to  a  body;  hurting  nothing;  being,  as  it 
was,  as  harmless  as  a  garter-snake.  But  now  it  gives  me 
sore  thoughts  when  I  hear  the  frighty  things  whizzing 
through  the  air,  for  I  know  it's  only  a  motion  to  bring  out 
all  the  brats  in  the  village.  Well !  the  Lord  won't  see  the 
waste  of  his  creatures  for  nothing,  and  right  will  be  done  to 
the  pigeons,  as  well  as  others,  by  and  by.  There's  Mr. 
Oliver,  as  bad  as  the  rest  of  them,  firing  into  the  flocks,  as 
if  he  was  shooting  down  nothing  but  Mingo  warriors." 

Among  the  sportsmen  was  Billy  Kirby,  who,  armed  with 
an  old  musket,  was  loading,  and  without  even  looking  into 
the  air,  was  firing  and  shouting  as  his  victims  fell  even  on 
his  own  person.  He  heard  the  speech  of  Natty,  and  took 
upon  himself  to  reply  :  — 

"  What !  old  Leather-Stocking,"  he  cried,  "  grumbling  at 
the  loss  of  a  few  pigeons  !  If  you  had  to  sow  your  wheat 
twice,  and  three  times,  as  I  have  done,  you  wouldn't  be  so 
massyfully  feeling,  towards  the  divils.  Hurrah,  boys ! 
scatter  the  feathers!  This  is  better  than  shooting  at  a 
turkey's  head  and  neck,  old  fellow.* 

"  It's  better  for  you,  maybe,  Billy  Kirby,"  replied  the 
indignant  old  hunter,  "  and  all  them  that  don't  know  how  to 
put  a  ball  down  a  rifle  barrel,  or  how  to  bring  it  up  again 
with  a  true  aim  ;  but  it's  wicked  to  be  shooting  into  flocks 
in  this  wasty  manner ;  and  none  do  it,  who  know  how  to 
knock  over  a  single  bird.  If  a  body  has  a  craving  for 
pigeon's  flesh,  why,  it's  made  the  same  as  all  other  creaturs, 
for  man's  eating ;  but  not  to  kill  twenty  and  eat  one. 
When  I  want  such  a  thing  I  go  into  the  woods  till  I  find 
one  to  my  liking,  and  then  I  shoot  him  off  the  branches, 
without  touching  the  feather  of  another,  though  there  might 
be  a  hundred  on  the  same  tree.  You  couldn't  do  sach  a 
thing,  Billy  Kirby  —  you  couldn't  do  it,  if  you  tried." 

"  What's  that,  old  corn-stalk !  you  sapless  stub  !  "  cried 
the  wood-chopper.  "  You  have  grown  wordy,  since  the 
affair  of  the  turkey  ;  but  if  you  are  for  a  single  shot,  hero 
goes  at  that  bird  which  comes  on  by  himself." 

The  fire  from  the  distant  part  of  the  field  had  driven  a 


THE   PIONEERS.  258 

liegle  pigeon  below  the  flock  to  which  it  belonged,  and, 
frightened  with  the  constant  reports  of  the  muskets,  it  was 
approaching  the  spot  where  the  disputants  stood,  darting 
first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other,  cutting  the  air 
with  the  swiftness  of  lightning,  and  making  a  noise  with  its 
wings,  not  unlike  the  rushing  of  a  bullet.  Unfortunately 
for  the  wood-chopper,  notwithstanding  his  vaunt,  he  did  not 
aee  this  bird  until  it  was  too  late  to  fire  as  it  approached, 
and  he  pulled  his  trigger  at  the  unlucky  moment  when  it 
was  darting  immediately  over  his  head.  The  bird  contin 
ued  its  course  with  the  usual  velocity. 

Natty  lowered  the  rifle  from  his  arm  when  the  challenge 
was  made,  and  waiting  a  moment,  until  the  terrified  victim 
had  got  in  a  line  with  his  eye,  and  had  dropped  near  the 
bank  of  the  lake,  he  raised  it  again  with  uncommon 
rapidity,  and  fired.  It  might  have  been  chance,  or  it  might 
have  been  skill,  that  produced  the  result ;  it  was  probably 
a  union  of  both ;  but  the  pigeon  whirled  over  in  the  air, 
and  fell  into  the  lake,  with  a  broken  wing.  At  the  sound 
of  his  rifle,  both  his  dogs  started  from  his  feet,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  "  slut "  brought  out  the  bird,  still  alive. 

The  wonderful  exploit  of  Leather-Stocking  was  noised 
through  the  field  with  great  rapidity,  and  the  sportsmen 
gathered  in,  to  learn  the  truth  of  the  report. 

"  What !  "  said  young  Edwards,  "  have  you  really  killed 
a  pigeon  on  the  wing,  Natty,  with  a  single  ball  ?  " 

"  Haven't  I  killed  loons  before  now,  lad,  that  dive  at  the 
flash?"  returned  the  hunter.  "It's  much  better  to  kill  only 
such  as  you  want,  without  wasting  your  powder  and  lead, 
than  to  be  firing  into  God's  creatures  in  this  wicked  man 
ner.  But  I  came  out  for  a  bird,  and  .you  kno^v  the  reason 
why  I  like  small  game,  Mr.  Oliver,  and  now  I  have  got  one 
I  will  go  home,  for  I  don't  relish  to  see  these  wasty  waya 
that  you  are  all  practysing,  as  if  the  least  thing  wasn't 
made  for  use,  and  not  to  destroy." 

"Thou  sayest  well,  Leather-Stocking,"  cried  Marmaduke, 
''and  I  begin  to  think  it  time  to  put  an  end  to  this  work 
•f  destruction." 

"  Put  an  ind,  Judge,  to  your  charings.     Ain't  the  wood* 


254  THE   PIONEERS. 

his  work  as  well  as  the  pigeons  ?  U&c,  but  don't  arasta 
Wasn't  the  woods  made  for  the  beasts  and  birds  to  harlxjr 
in?  and  when  man  wanted  their  flesh,  their  skins,  or  their 
feathers,  there's  the  place  to  seek  them.  But  I'll  go  to  the 
hut  with  my  own  game,  for  I  wouldn't  touch  one  of  tho 
harmless  things  that  COTST  the  ground  here,  looking  up  Tvith 
their  eyes  on  me,  as  if  they  only  wanted  tongues  to  say 
their  thoughts." 

With  this  sentiment  in  his  mouth,  Leather-Stocking 
threw  his  rifle  over  his  arm,  and  followed  by  his  dogs 
stepped  across  the  clearing  with  great  caution,  taking  care 
not  to  tread  on  one  of  the  wounded  birds  in  his  path.  He 
goon  entered  the  bushes  on  the  margin  of  the  lake,  and 
was  hid  from  view. 

Whatever  impression  the  morality  of  Natty  made  on  the 
Judge,  it  was  utterly  lost  on  Richard.  He  availed  himself 
of  the  gathering  of  the  sportsmen,  to  lay  a  plan  for  one 
"  fell  swoop  "  of  destruction.  The  musket  men  were  drawn 
up  in  battle  array,  in  a  line  extending  on  each  side  of  his 
artillery,  with  orders  to  await  the  signal  of  firing  from  him 
self. 

"  Stand  by,  my  lads,"  said  Benjamin,  who  acted  as  an 
aide-de-camp  on  this  occasion,  "  stand  by,  my  hearties,  and 
when  Squire  Dickens  heaves  out  the  signal  to  begin  firing, 
d'ye  see,  you  may  open  upon  them  in  a  broadside.  Take 
care  and  fire  low,  boys,  and  you'll  be  sure  to  hull  the  flock." 

"Fire -low!"  shouted  Kirby :  "hear  the  old  fool!  If 
rre  fire  low,  we  may  hit  the  stumps,  but  not  ruflie  a  pigeon." 

"  How  should  you  know,  you  lubber  ?  "  cried  Benjamin, 
with  a  very  unbecoming  heat  for  an  officer  on  the  eve  of 
battle ;  "  how  should  you  know,  you  grampus  ?  Haven't  I 
sailed  abon  rd  of  the  Boadishey  for  five  years  ?  and  wasn't  it 
a  standing  order  to  fire  low,  and  to  hull  your  enemy  ?  Keep 
wlence  at  your  guns,  boys,  and  mind  the  order  that  is 
passed. ' 

The  bud  laughs  of  the  musket-men  were  silenced  by  the 
more  authoritative  voice  of  Richard,  who  called  for  alien 
tion  and  obedience  to  his  signals. 

Some  millions  of  pigeons  were  supposed  to  have  alreadj 


FRE   PIONEERS.  255 

passed,  that  morning,  over  the  valley  of  Templeton  ;  but 
nothing  like  the  ilock  that  was  now  approaching  had  been 
seen  before.  It  extended  from  mountain  to  mountain  in 
one  solid  blue  mass,  and  the  eye  looked  in  vain,  over  the 
southern  hills,  to  find  itj>  termination.  The  front  of  this 
living  column  was  distinctly  marked  by  a  line  but  very 
slightly  indented,  so  regular  and  even  was  the  flight.  Even 
Marmaduke  forgot  the  morality  of  Leather-Stocking  as  it 
approached,  and,  in  common  with  the  rest,  brought  his  mus 
ket  to  a  poise. 

"  Fire !  "  cried  the  Sheriff,  clapping  a  coal  to  the  priming 
of  the  cannon.  As  half  of  Benjamin's  charge  escaped 
through  the  touch-hole,  the  whole  volley  of  the  musketry 
preceded  the  report  of  the  swivel.  On  receiving  this  united 
discharge  of  small-arms,  the  front  of  the  flock  darted  up 
wards,  while,  at  the  same  instant,  myriads  of  those  in  the 
rear  rushed  with  amazing  rapidity  into  their  places,  so  that 
when  the  column  of  white  smoke  gushed  from  the  mouth 
of  the  little  cannon,  an  accumulated  mass  of  objects  was 
gliding  over  its  point  of  direction.  The  roar  of  the  ijun 
echoed  along  the  mountains,  and  died  away  to  the  north, 
like  distant  thunder,  while  the  whole  flock  of  alarmed  birds 
•seemed,  for  a  moment,  thrown  into  one  disorderly  and  agi 
tated  mass.  The  air  was  filled  with  their  irregular  flight, 
layer  rising  above  layer,  far  above  the  tops  of  the  highest 
pines,  none  daring  to  advance  beyond  the  dangerous  pass  ; 
when,  suddenly,  some  of  the  leaders  of  the  feathered  tribe 
shot  across  the  valley,  taking  their  flight  directly  ovei  the 
village,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  in  their  rear  followed 
the  example,  deserting  the  eastern  side  of  the  plain  to  their 
oerseoutors  and  the  slain. 

"  Victory  !  "  shouted  Richard,  "  victory  !  we  have  driven 
the  enemy  from  the  field." 

"  Not  so,  Dickon,"  said  Marmaduke :  "  the  field  is  cov 
ered  with  them ;  and,  like  the  Leather-Stocking,  I  see 
nothing  but  eyes,  in  every  direction,  as  the  innocent  suffer 
ers  turn  their  heads  in  terror.  Full  one  half  of  those  that 
have  fallen  are  yet  alive ;  and  I  think  it  is  time  to  end  the 
iport,  if  spoil  it  be." 


256  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  Sport ! "  cried  the  Sheriff;  "  it  is  princely  sport !  There 
are  some  thousands  of  the  blue-coated  boys  on  the  ground, 
so  that  every  old  woman  in  the  village  may  have  a  pot-pio 
for  the  asking." 

"  Well,  we  have  happily  frightened  the  birds  from  this 
side  of  the  valley,"  said  Marmaduke,  "  and  the  carnage 
must  of  necessity  end,  for  the  present.  Boys,  I  will  give 
you  sixpence  a  hundred  for  the  pigeons'  heads  only  :  so  go 
to  work,  and  bring  them  into  the  village." 

This  expedient  produced  the  desired  effect,  for  every 
urchin  on  the  ground  went  industriously  to  work  to  wring 
the  necks  of  the  wounded  birds.  Judge  Temple  retired 
towards  his  dwelling  with  that  kind  of  feeling  that  many  a 
man  has  experienced  before  him,  who  discovers,  after  the 
excitement  of  the  moment  has  passed,  that  he  has  pur 
chased  pleasure  at  the  price  of  misery  to  others.  Horses 
were  loaded  with  the  dead ;  and,  after  this  first  burst  of 
sporting,  the  shooting  of  pigeons  became  a  business,  with  a 
few  idlers,  for  the  remainder  of  the  season.  Richard,  how 
ever,  boasted'  for  many  a  year,  of  his  shot  with  the 
"  cricket;"1  and  Benjamin  gravely  asserted,  that  he  thought 
they  killed  nearly  as  many  pigeons  on  that  day,  as  there 
were  Frenchmen  destroyed  on  the  memorable  occasion  of 
Rodney's  victory. 

i  Sw  Appendix,  Note  J. 


THE  PIONEERS.  267 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Help,  masters,  help;  here's  a  fish  hangs  in  the  net,  like  a  poor  man's  right 
In  the  law.  PERICLES  OF  TIRE. 

THE  advance  of  the  season  now  became  as  rapid  as  its 
first  approach  had  been  tedious  and  lingering.  The  days 
were  uniformly  mild,  while  the  nights,  though  cool,  were 
no  longer  chilled  by  frosts.  The  whip-poor-will  was  heard 
whistling  his  melancholy  notes  along  the  margin  of  the 
lake,  and  the  ponds  and  meadows  were  sending  forth  the 
music  of  their  thousand  tenants.  The  leaf  of  the  native 
poplar  was  seen  quivering  in  the  woods ;  the  sides  of  the 
mountains  began  to  lose  their  hue  of  brown,  as  the  lively 
green  of  the  different  members  of  the  forest  blended  their 
shades  with  the  permanent  colors  of  the  pine  and  hemlock  ; 
and  even  the  buds  of  the  tardy  oak  were  swelling  with  the 
promise  of  the  coming  summer.  The  gay  and  fluttering 
blue-bird,  the  social  robin,  and  the  industrious  little  wren, 
were  all  to  be  seen  enlivening  the  fields  with  their  presence 
and  their  songs ;  while  the  soaring  fish-hawk  was  already 
hovering  over  the  waters  of  the  Otsego,  watching,  with 
aative  voracity,  for  the  appearance  of  his  prey. 

The  tenants  of  the  lake  were  far-famed  for  both  their 
quantities  and  their  quality,  and  the  ice  had  hardly  disap 
peared,  before  numberless  little  boats  were  launched  from 
the  shores,  and  the  lines  of  the  fishermen  were  dropped 
into  the  inmost  recesses  of  its  deepest  caver  is,  tempting 
the  unwary  animals  with  every  variety  of  bait  that  the'in- 
genuity  or  the  art  of  man  had  invented.  But  the  slow, 
though  certain  adventures  with  hook  and  line  were  ill 
suited  to  the  profusion  and  impatience  of  the  settlers.  More 
destructive  means  were  resorted  to  :  and,  as  the  season  had 
now  arrived  when  the  bass-fisheries  were  allowed  by  the 


258  THE  PIONEERS. 

provisions  of  the  law  that  Judge  Temple  had  procured,  the 
Sheriff  declared  his  intention,  by  availing  himself  of  the 
first  dark  night,  to  enjoy  the  sport  in  person. 

"And  you  shall  be  present,  cousin  Bess,"  he  added,  when 
he  announced  this  design,  "  and  Miss  Grant,  and  Mr.  Ed 
wards  ;  and  I  will  show  you  what  I  call  fishing  —  not  nib 
ble,  nibble,  nibble,  as  'Duke  does  when  he  goes  after  the 
Balmon-trout.  There  he  will  sit  for  hours,  in  a  broiling 
gun,  or,  perhaps,  over  a  hole  in  the  ice,  in  the  coldest  days 
in  winter,  under  the  lee  of  a  few  bushes,  and  not  a  fish  will 
he  catch,  after  all  this  mortification  of  the  flesh.  No,  no ; 
give  ine  a  good  seine  that's  fifty  or  sixty  fathoms  in  length, 
with  a  jolly  parcel  of  boatmen  to  crack  their  jokes  the 
while,  with  Benjamin  to  steer,  and  let  us  haul  them  in  by 
thousands  ;  I  call  that  fishing." 

"  Ah  !  Dickon,"  cried  Marmaduke,  "  thou  knowest  bat 
little  of  the  pleasure  there  is  in  playing  with  the  hook  and 
line,  or  thou  wouldst  be  more  saving  of  the  game.  I  have 
known  thee  to  leave  fragments  enough  behind  thee,  when 
'thou  hast  headed  a  night-party  on  the  lake,  to  feed  a  dozer, 
famishing  families." 

"I  shall  not  dispute  the  matter,  Judge  Temple:  this 
night  will  I  go  ;  and  I  invite  the  company  to  attend,  and 
then  let  them  decide  between  us." 

Richard  was  busy,  during  most  of  the  afternoon,,  making 
his  preparations  for  the  important  occasion.  Just  as  the 
light  of  the  setting  sun  had  disappeared,  and  a  new  moon 
had  begun  to  throw  its  shadows  on  the  earth,  the  fishermen 
took  their  departure  in  a  boat,  for  a  point  that  was  situated 
on  the  western  shore  of  the  lake,  at  the  distance  of  rather 
more  than  half  a  mile  from  the  village.  The  ground  had 
become  settled,  and  the  walking  was  good  an:l  dry.  Mar- 
maduke,  with  his  daughter,  her  friend,  and  young  Edwards, 
continued  on  the  high  grassy  banks  at  the  outlet  of  the 
placid  sheet  of  water,  watching  the  dark  object  that  was 
moving  across  the  lake,  until  it  entered  the  shade  of  the 
Western  hills,  and  was  lost  to  the  eye.  The  distance  round 
by  land  to  the  point  of  destination  was  a  mile,  and  he  ob 
served,  — 


THE  PIONEERS.  259 

"  It  is  time  for  us  to  be  moving :  the  moon  will  be  dawn 
era  we  reach  the  point,  and  then  the  miraculous  hauls  of 
Dickon  will  commence." 

The  evening  was  warm,  and,  after  the  long  and  dreary 
winter  from  which  they  had  just  escaped,  delightfully  in 
vigorating.  Inspirited  by  the  scene  and  their  anticipated 
amusement,  the  youthful  companions  of  the  Judge  followed 
his  steps,  as  he  led  them  along  the  shores  of  the  Otsego, 
and  through  the  skirts  of  the  village. 

"  See  ! "  said  young  Edwards,  "  they  are  building  their 
fire  already  ;  it  glimmers  for  a  moment,  and  dies  again  like 
the  light  of  a  fire-fly." 

"  Now  it  blazes,"  cried  Elizabeth  :  "  you  can  perceive 
figures  moving  around  the  light.  O !  I  would  bet  my 
jewels  against  the  gold  beads  of  Remarkable,  that  my  impa 
tient  cousin  Dickon  had  an  agency  in  raising  that  bright 
flame ;  and  see !  it  fades  again,  like  most  of  his  brilliant 
schemes." 

"  Thou  hast  guessed  the  truth,  Bess,"  said  her  father ; 
"  he  has  thrown  an  armful  of  brush  on  the  pile,  which  has 
burnt  out  as  soon  as  lighted.  But  it  has  enabled  them  to 
find  a  better  fuel,  for  their  fire  begins  to  blaze  with  a*  more 
steady  flame.  It  is  the  true  fisherman's  beacon  now; 
observe  how  beautifully  it  throws  its  little  circle  of  light  on 
the  water ! " 

The  appearance  of  the  fire  urged  the  pedestrians  on,  for 
even  the  ladies  had  become  eager  to  witness  the  miraculous 
draught.  By  the  time  they  reached  the  bank,  which  rose 
above  the  low  point  where  the  fishermen  had  landed,  the 
moon  had  sunk  behind  the  tops  of  the  western  pines,  and, 
as  most  of  the  stars  were  obscured  by  clouds,  there  was  but 
little  other  light  than  that  which  proceeded  from  the  fire. 
At  the  suggestion  of  Marmaduke,  his  companions  paused  to 
listen  to  the  conversation  of  those  below  them,  and  examine 
the  party  for  a  moment  before  they  descended  to  the  shore. 

The  whole  group  were  seated  around  the  fire,  with  tho 
t  xception  of  Richard  and  Benjamin  ;  the  former  of  whom 
occupied  the  root  of  a  decayed  stump,  that  had  been  drawn 
lo  the  spot  as  part  of  their  fuel,  and  the  latter  was  standing, 


260  THE  PIONEERS. 

with  his  arms  akimbo,  so  near  to  the  flame,  that  the  smoke 
occasionally  obscured  his  solemn  visage,  as  it  waved  around 
the  pile,  in  obedience  to  the  night  airs  that  swept  gently 
over  the  water. 

"  Why,  look  you,  Squire,"  said  the  major-domo,  "  you 
may  call  a  lake-fish  that  will  weigh  twenty  or  thirty  poundg 
a  serious  matter  ;  but  to  a  man  who  has  hauled  in  a  shovel* 
nosed  shirk,  d'ye  see,  it's  but  a  poor  kind  of  fishing  after 
all." 

"  I  don't  know,  Benjamin,"  returned  the  Sheriff;  "  a  haul 
of  one  thousand  Otsego  bass,  without  counting  pike,  pick 
erel,  perch,  bull-pouts,  salmon-trouts,  and  suckers,  is  no  bad 
fishing,  let  me  tell  you.  There  may  be  sport  in  sticking  a 
shark,  but  what  is  he  good  for  after  you  have  got  him  ? 
Now,  any  one  of  the  fish  that  I  have  named  is  fit  to  set 
before  a  king." 

"  Well,  Squire,"  returned  Benjamin,  "  just  listen  to  the 
philosophy  of  the  thing.  Would  it  stand  to  reason,  that 
such  fish  should  live  and  be  catched  in  this  here  little  pond 
of  water,  where  it's  hardly  deep  enough  to  drown  a  man,  as 
you'll  find  in  the  wide  ocean,  where,  as  everybody  knows, 
that  is,  everybody  that  has  followed  the  seas,  whales  and 
grampuses  are  to  be  seen,  that  are  as  long  as  one  of  the 
pine  trees  on  yonder  mountain  ?  " 

"  Softly,  softly,  Benjamin,"  said  the  Sheriff,  as  if  ha 
wished  to  save  the  credit  of  his  favorite ;  "  why,  some  of  the 
pines  will  measure  two  hundred  feet,  and  even  more." 

"  Two  hundred  or  two  thousand,  it's  all  the  same  thing," 
cried  Benjamin,  with  an  air  which  manifested  that  he  was 
not  easily  to  be  bullied  out  of  his  opinion,  on  a  subject  like 
the  present.  "  Haven't  I  been  there,  and  haven't  I  seen  ? 
I  have  said  that  you  fall  in  with  whales  as  long  as  one  of 
them  there  pines ;  and  what  I  have  once  said  I'll  stand 
to!" 

During  this  dialogue,  which  was  evidently  but  the  close 
of  a  much  longer  discussion,  the  huge  frame  of  Billy  Kirby 
was  seen  extended  on  one  side  of  the  fire,  where  he  was 
picking  his  teeth  with  splinters  of  the  chips  near  him,  and 
occasionally  shaking  his  head  with  distrust  of  Benjamin's 
assertions. 


THE   riONEEBS.  261 

"I've  a  notion,"  said  the  wood-chopper,  "that  there's 
water  in  this  lake  to  swim  the  biggest  whale  that  ever  was 
invented ;  and,  as  to  the  pines,  I  think  I  ought  to  know 
southing  consarniug  them ;  1  have  chopped  many  a  one  that 
was  sixty  times  the  length  of  my  helve,  without  counting 
the  eye  :  and  I  believe,  Benny,  that  if  the  old  pine  that 
stands  in  the  hollow  of  the  Vision  Mountain,  just  over  the 
village  — you  may  see  the  tree  itself  by  looking  up,  for  the 
moon  is  on  its  top  yet  —  well,  now  I  believe,  if  that  same 
tree  was  planted  out  in  the  deepest  part  of  the  lake,  there 
would  be  water  enough  for  the  biggest  ship  that  ever  was 
built  to  float  over  it,  without  touching  its  upper  branches,  I 
do." 

"  Did'ee  ever  see  a  'ship,  Master  Kirby  ?  "  roared  the 
steward ;  "  did'ee  ever  see  a  ship,  man  ?  or  any  craft  bigger 
than  a  lime-scow,  or  a  wcod-boat,  on  this  here  small  bit  of 
fresh  water  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  have,"  said  the  wood-chopper,  stoutly  ;  "  I  can 
say  that  I  have,  and  tell  no  lie." 

"  Did'ee  ever  see  a  British  ship,  Master  Kirby  ?  an  Eng 
lish  line-of-battle  ship,  boy  ?  Where-away  did'ee  ever  fall 
in  with  a  regular  built  vessel,  with  starn-post  and  cut-water, 
garboard  streak  and  plank-shear,  gangways,  and  hatchways, 
and  waterways,  quarter-deck  and  forecastle,  aye,  and  flush- 
deck  ?  —  tell  me  that,  man,  if  you  can  ;  where-away  did'ee 
ever  fall  in  with  a  full  rigged,  regular  built,  decked 
vessel ?  " 

The  whole  company  were  a  good  deal  astounded  with  this 
overwhelming  question,  and  even  Richard  afterwards 
remarked,  that  "  It  was  a  thousand  pi  ties  that  Benjamin 
could  not  read,  or  he  must  have  made  \  valuable  ofFicex_to 
the  British  marine.  It  is  no  wonder  that  they  overcame 
the  French  so  easily  on  the  water,  when  even  the  lowest 
sailor  so  well  understood  the  different  parts  of  a  vessel."  * 
But  Billy  Kirby  was  a  fearless  wight,  and  had  great 
jealousy  of  foreign  dictation  ;  he  had  arisen  on  his  feot, 
and  turned  his  back  to  the  fire,  during  the  voluble  delivery 
df  tin's  interrogatory  ;  and  when  the  steward  ended,  con 
trary  to  all  expectation,  he  gave  tho  following  spirited 
reply :  — 


262  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  Whei  e !  why,  on  the  North  River,  and  maybe  on  Cham 
plain.  There's  sloops  on  the  river,  boy,  that  would  give  a 
hard  time  on't  to  the  stoutest  vessel  King  George  owns. 
They  carry  masts  of  ninety  feet  in  the  clear,  of  good  solid 
].ine,  for  I've  been  at  the  chopping  of  many  a  one  in  Var- 
mount  State.  I  wish  I  was  captain  in  one  of  them,  and 
you  was  in  that  Board-dish  that  you  talk  so  much  about ; 
and  we'd  soon  see  what  good  Yankee  stuff  is  made  on,  and 
whether  a  Varmouuter's  hide  ain't  as  thick  as  an  English 
man's." 

The  echoes  from  the  opposite  hills,  which  were  more 
than  half  a  mile  from  the  fishing  point,  sent  back  the  dis 
cordant  laugh  that  Benjamin  gave  forth  at  this  challenge ; 
and  the  woods  that  covered  their  sides  seemed,  by  the  noise 
that  issued  from  their  shades,  to  be  full  of  mocking  demons. 

"  Let  us  descend  to  the  shore,"  whispered  Marmaduke, 
"  or  there  will  soon  be  ill-blood  between  them.  Benjamin 
is  a  fearless  boaster ;  and  Kirby,  though  good-natured,  is  a 
careless  son  of  the  forest,  who  thinks  one  American  more 
than  a  match  for  six  Englishmen.  I  marvel  that  Dickon  is 
silent,  where  there  is  such  a  trial  of  skill  in  the  superlative  !  '* 

The  appearance  of  Judge  Temple  and  the  ladies  pro 
duced,  if  not  a  pacification,  at  least  a  cessation  of  hostilities. 
Obedient  to  the  directions  of  Mr.  Jones,  the  fishermen  pre 
pared  to  launch  their  boat,  which  had  been  seen  in  the 
background  of  the  view,  with  the  net  carefully  disposed  on 
a  little  platform  in  its  stern,  ready  for  service.  Richard 
gave  vent  to*  his  reproaches  at  the  tardiness  of  the  pedes 
trians,  when  all  the  turbulent  passions  of  the  party  were 
succeeded  by  a  calm,  as  mild  and  as  placid  as  that  which 
prevailed  over  the  beautiful  sheet  of  water  that  they  were 
about  to  rifle  of  its  best  treasures. 

The  night  had  now  become  so  dark  as  to  render  objects, 
without  the  reach  of  the  light  of  the  fire,  not  only  indistinct, 
but  in  most  cases  invisible.  For  a  little  distarce  the  water 
was  discernible,  glistening,  as  the  glare  from  the  fire  danced 
over  its  surface,  touching  it  here  and  there  with  red  quiver 
ing  streaks ;  but  at  a  hundred  feet  from  the  shore,  there  lay 
a  boundary  of  impenetrable  gloom.  One  or  two  stars  were 


THE  PIONEERS.  26S 

ikining  through  the  openings  of  the  clouds,  and  the  lights 
were  seen  in  the  village,  glimmering  faintly,  as  if  at  an 
immeasurable  distance.  At  times,  as  the  fire  lowered,  or  as 
the  horizon  cleared,  the  outline  of  the  mountain,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  lake,  might  be  traced  by  its  undulations; 
but  its  shadow  was  cast,  wide  and  dense,  on  the  bosom  of 
the  water,  rendering  the  darkness  in  that  direction  trebly 
deep. 

Bonjamin  Pump  was  invariably  the  cockswain  and  net- 
caster  of  Richard's  boat,  unless  the  Sheriff  saw  fit  to  prcsido 
in  person  ;  and,  on  the  present  occasion,  Billy  Kirby,  and  a 
youth  of  about  half  his  strength,  were  assigned  to  the  oars. 
The  remainder  of  the  assistants  were  stationed  at  the  drag 
ropes.  The  arrangements  were  speedily  made,  and  Richard 
gave  the  signal  to  "  shove  off." 

Elizabeth  watched  the  motion  of  the  batteau  as  it  pulled 
from  the  shore,  letting  loose  its  rope  as  it  went,  but  it  soon 
disappeared  in  the  darkness,  when  the  ear  was  her  only 
guide  to  its  evolutions.  There  was  great  affectation  of 
stillness  during  all  these  manoeuvres,  in  order,  as  Richard 
assured  them,  "  not  to  frighten  the  bass,  who  were  running 
into  the  shoal  waters,  and  who  would  approach  the  light  if 
not  disturbed  by  the  sounds  from  the  fishermen." 

The  hoarse  voice  of  Benjamin  was  alone  heard  issuing 
out  of  the  gloom,  as  he  uttered,  in  authoritative  tones,  "  Pull 
larboard  oar,"  "  Pull  starboard,"  "  Give  way  together,  boys," 
and  such  other  dictative  mandates  as  were  necessary  for  the 
right  disposition  of  his  seine.  A  long  time  was  passed  in 
this  necessary  part  of  the  process,  for  Benjamin  prided 
himself  greatly  on  his  skill  in  throwing  the  net,  and,  in  fact, 
most  of  the  success  of  the  sport  depended  on  its  being 
ione  with  judgment.  At  length  a  loud  splash  in  the  water. 
us  he  threw  away  the  "  staff,"  or  "  stretcher,"  with  a  hoarse 
till  from  the  steward,  of  "  Clear,"  announced  that  the  boat 
was  returning ;  when  Richard  seized  a  brand  from  the  fire, 
aid  ran  to  a  point,  as  far  above  the  centre  of  the  fishing 
ground,  as  the  one*from  which  the  batteau  had  started  was 
>elow  it. 

"  Stick  her  in  dead  for  the  Squire,  boys,"  said  the  steward, 
*  %nd  we'll  have  a  look  at  what  grows  in  this  here  pond." 


264  THE  PIONEEKS. 

In  place  of  the  falling  net  were  now  to  be  heard  the 
quick  strokes  of  the  oars,  and  the  noise  of  the  rope  run 
ning  out  of  the  boat.  Presently  the  batteau  shot  into  the 
circle  of  light,  and  in  an  instant  she  was  pulled  to  shore. 
Several  eager  hands  were  extended  to  receive  the  line,  and 
both  ropes  being  equally  well  manned,  the  fishermen  com 
menced  hauling  in  with  slow  and  steady  drags,  Richard 
standing  in  the  centre,  giving  orders,  first  to  one  party,  and 
then  to  the  other,  to  increase  or  slacken  their  efforts,  as 
occasion  required.  The  visitors  were  posted  near  him,  and 
enjoyed  a  fair  view  of  the  whole  operation,  which  was 
slowly  advancing  to  an  end. 

Opinions  as  to  the  result  of  their  adventure  were  now 
freely  hazarded  by  all  the  men,  some  declaring  that  the  net 
came  in  as  light  as  a  feather,  and  others  affirming  that  it 
seemed  to  be  full  of  logs.  As  the  ropes  were  many  hundred 
feet  in  length,  these  opposing  sentiments  were  thought  to  be 
of  little  moment  by  the  Sheriff,  who  would  go 'first  to  one 
line  and  then  to  the  other,  giving  each  a  small  pull,  in  order 
to  enable  him  to  form  an  opinion  for  himself. 

"  Why,  Benjamin,"  he  cried,  as  he  made  his  first  effort  in 
this  way,  "  you  did  not  throw  the  net  clear.  I  can  move  it 
with  my  little  finger.  The  rope  slackens  in  my  hand." 

"  Did  you  ever  see  a  whale,  Squire  ? "  responded  the 
steward.  "  I  say  that  if  that  there  net  is  foul,  the  devil  is 
in  the  lake  in  the  shape  of  a  fish,  for  I  cast  it  as  fair  as 
ever  rigging  was  rove  over  the  quarter-deck  of  a  flag-ship." 

But  Richard  discovered  his  mistake,  when  he  saw  Billy 
Kirby  before  him,  standing  with  his  feet  in  the  water,  at  an 
angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  inclining  shorewards,  and  ex 
pending  his  gigantic  strength  in  sustaining  himself  in  that 
posture.  He  ceased  his  remonstrances,  and  proceeded  to  the 
party  at  the  other  line. 

"  I  see  the  '  staffs,' "  shouted  Mr.  Jones ;  "  gather  in, 
boys,  and  away  with  it ;  to  shore  with  her !  —  to  shore 
with  her ! " 

At  this  cheerful  sound,  Elizabeth  stAined  her  eyes  and 
saw  the  ends  of  the  two  sticks  on  the  seine  emerging  from 
tho  darkness,  while  the  men  closed  near  to  each  other,  and 


THE  PIONEERS.  265 

formed  a  deep  bag  of  their  net.  The  exertions  of  the 
fishermen  sensibly  increased,  and  the  voice  of  Richard  was 
heard  encouraging  them  to  make  their  greatest  efforts  at 
the  present  moment. 

"  Now's  the  time,  my  lads,"  he  cried ;  "  let  us  get  the 
ends  to  land,  and  all  we  have  will  be  our  own  —  away 
with  her ! " 

"  Away  with  her,  it  is,"  echoed  Benjamin  ;  "  hurrah  1 
ho-a-hoy,  ho-a-hoy,  ho-a  ! " 

"  In  with  her ! "  shouted  Kirby,  exerting  himself  in  a 
manner  that  left  nothing  for  those  in  his  rear  to  do,  but  to 
gather  up  the  slack  of  the  rope  which  passed  through  hi* 
hands. 

"  Staff,  ho  !  "  shouted  the  steward. 

"  Staff,  ho  ! "  echoed  Kirby,  from  the  other  rope. 

The  men  rushed  to  the  water's  edge,  some  seizing  the 
Upper  rope,  and  some  the  lower,  or  lead-rope,  and  began  to 
haul  with  great  activity  and  zeal.  A  deep  semicircular 
sweep  of  the  little  balls  that  supported  the  seine  in  its  per 
pendicular  position,  was  plainly  visible  to  the  spectators, 
and,  as  it  rapidly  lessened  in  size,  the  bag  of  the  net  ap 
peared,  while  an  occasional  nutter  on  the  water  announced 
the  uneasiness  of  the  prisoners  it  contained. 

"  Haul  in,  my  lads,"  shouted  Richard ;  "  I  can  see  the 
dogs  kicking  to  get  free.  Haul  in,  and  here's  a  cast  that 
will  pay  for  the  labor." 

Fishes  of  various  sorts  were  now  to  be  seen,  entangled 
in  the  meshes  of  the  net,  as  it  was  passed  through  the 
hands  of  the  laborers ;  and  the  water,  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  shore,  was  alive  with  the  movements  of  the 
alarmed  victims.  Hundreds  of  white  sides  were  glancing 
up  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  glistening  in  the  fire 
light,  when,  frightened  at  the  uproar  and  the  change,  the 
fish  would  again  dart  to  the  bottom,  in  fruitless  efforts  for 
freedom. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  shouted  Richard ;  "  one  or  two  more  heavy 
drags,  boys,  and  we  are  safe." 

"  Cheerily,  boys,  cheerily  !  "  cried  Benjamin  ;  "  I  see  a 
lalmon-trout  that  is  big  enough  for  a  chowder." 


266  THE  PIONEEHS. 

"  Away  with  you,  you  varmint !  "  said  Billy  Kirby,  pluck- 
ing  a  bull-pout  from  the  meshes,  and  casting  the  animal 
back  into    the    lake    with    contempt.     "  Pull,  boys,  pull 
here's  all  kinds,  and  the  Lord  condemn  me  for  a  liar,  if 
there  ain't  a  thousand  bass  !  " 

In  (lamed  beyond  the  bounds  of  discretion  at  the  sight, 
and  forgetful  of  the  season,  the  wood-chopper  rushed  to  his 
middle  into  the  water,  and  began  to  drive  the  reluctant 
animals  before  him  from  their  native  element. 

"  Pull  heartily,  boys,"  cried  Marmaduke,  yielding  to  the 
excitement  of  the  moment,  and  laying  his  hands  to  the  net, 
with  no  trifling  addition  to  the  force.  Edwards  had  pre 
ceded  him  ;  for  the  sight  of  the  immense  piles  of  fish,  that 
were  slowly  rolling  over  on  the  gravelly  beach,  had  im 
pelled  him  also  to  leave  the  ladies,  and  join  the  fishermen. 

Great  care  was  observed  in  bringing  the  net  to  land, 
and,  after  much  toil,  the  whole  shoal  of  victims  was  safely 
deposited  in  a  hollow  of  the  bank,  where  they  were  left 
to  flutter  away  their  brief  existence  in  the  new  and  fatal 
element. 

Even  Elizabeth  and  Louisa  were  greatly  excited  and 
highly  gratified  by  seeing  two  thousand  captives  thus  drawn 
from  the  bosom  of  the  lake,  and  laid  prisoners  at  their  feet. 
But  when  the  feelings  of  the  moment  were  passing  away, 
Marmaduke  took  in  his  hands  a  bass,  that  might  have 
weighed  two  pounds,  and  after  viewing  it  a  moment,  in 
melancholy  musing,  he  turned  to  his  daughter,  and  ob 
served,  — 

"  This  is  a  fearful  expenditure  of  the  choicest  gifts  of 
Providence.  These  fish,  Bess,  which  thou  seest  lying  in 
such  piles  before  thee,  and  which  by  to-morrow  evening 
will  be  rejected  food  on  the  meanest  table  in  Templeton, 
are  of  a  quality  and  flavor  that,  in  other  countries,  would 
make  them  esteemed  a  luxury  on  the  tables  of  princes  or 
epicures.  The  world  has  no  better  fish  than  the  bass  of 
Otsego :  it  unites  the  richness  of  the  shad  l  to  the  firmness 
of  the  salmon." 

l  Of  all  the  fish  the  writer  has  ever  tasted,  he  thiuka  the  one  in  question  tb« 
test.     See  Appendix,  Note  K. 


THE  PIONEERS.  267 

"  But  surely,  dear  sir,"  cried  Elizabeth,  "  they  must  proro 
*  great  blessing  to  the  country,  and  a  powerful  friend  to  the 
poor." 

"  The  poor  are  always  prodigal,  my  child,  where  there  is 
plenty,  and  seldom  think  of  a  provision  against  the  morrov 
But  if  there  can  be  any  excuse  for  destroying  animals  in 
this  manner,  it  is  in  taking  the  bass.  During  the  winter, 
you  know,  they  are  entirely  protected  from  our  assaults  by 
the  ice,  for  thsy  refuse  the  hook ;  and  during  the  hot 
months  they  are  not  seen.  It  is  supposed  they  retreat  10 
the  deep  and  cool  waters  of  the  lake,  at  that  season  ;  and 
it  is  only  in  the  spring  and  autumn,  that,  for  a  few  days, 
they  are  to  be  found  around  the  points  where  they  are 
within  the  reach  of  a  seine.  But,  like  all  the  other  treasj 
ures  of  the  wilderness,  they  already  begin  to  disappear  be* 
fore  the  wasteful  extravagance  of  man." 

"  Disappear,  'Duke  !  disappear  !  "  exclaimed  the  JJheriff; 
"  if  you  don't  call  this  appearing,  I  know  not  what  you  will. 
Here  are  a  good  thousand  of  the  shiners,  some  hundreds 
of  suckers,  and  a  powerful  quantity  of  other  fry.  But  this 
is  always  the  way  with  you,  Marmacluke  ;  first  it's  the  trees, 
then  it's  the  deer,  after  that  it's  the  maple-sugar,  and  so  on 
to  the  end  of  the  chapter.  One  day  you  talk  of  canala 
through  a  country  where  there's  a  river  or  a  lake  every 
half  mile,  just  because  the  water  won't  run  the  way  you 
wish  it  to  go  ;  and  the  next,  you  say  something  about  mines 
of  coal,  though  any  man  who  has  good  eyes  like  myself — 
I  say  with  good  eyes  —  can  see  more  wood  than  would 
keep  the  city  of  London  in  fuel  for  fifty  years  ;  wouldn't 
it,  Benjamin?" 

"  Why,  for  that,  Squire,"  said  the  steward,  "  Lon'on  is 
no  small  place.  If  it  was  stretched  an  end,  all  the  same  as 
a  town  on  one  side  of  the  river,  it  would  cover  some  such 
matter  as  this  here  lake.  Tho'f  I  dar'st  to  say,  that  the 
wood  in  sight  might  sarve  them  a  good  turn,  seeing  that 
the  Lon'oners  mainly  burn  coal." 

"  Now  we  are  on  the  subject  of  coal,  Judge  Temple,"  in 
terrupted  the  Sheriff,  "  I  have  a  thing  of  much  importance 
to  communicate  to  you ;  but  I  will  defer  it  until  to-morrow. 


268  THE  PIONEERS. 

I  know  that  you  intend  riding  into  the  eastern  part  of  the 
Patent,  and  I  will  accompany  you,  and  conduct  you  to  a 
spot  where  some  of  your  projects  may  be  realized.  We 
will  say  no  more  now,  for  there  are  listeners  ;  but  a  secret 
has  this  evening  been  revealed  to  me,  'Duke,  that  is  of 
more  consequence  to  your  welfare  than  all  your  estate 
united." 

Marmaduke  laughed  at  the  important  intelligence,  to 
which  in  a  variety  of  shapes  he  was  accustomed,  and  the 
Sheriff,  with  an  air  of  great  dignity,  as  if  pitying  his  want 
of  faith,  proceeded  in  the  business  more  immediately  before 
them.  As  the  labor  of  drawing  the  net  had  been  very 
great,  he  directed  one  party  of  his  men  to  commence  throw 
ing  the  fish  into  piles,  preparatory  to  the  usual  division, 
while  another,  under  the  superintendence  of  Benjamin,  pre 
pared  the  seine  for  a  second  haul. 


THE  PIONEERS,  269 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

While  from  its  margin,  terrible  to  tell! 
Three  sailors  with  their  gallant  boatswain  fell. 


WHILE  the  fishermen  were  employed  in  making  the 
preparations  for  an  equitable  division  of  the  spoil,  Elizabeth 
and  her  friend  strolled  .  a  short  distance  from  the  group, 
along  the  shore  of  the  lake.  After  reaching  a  point  to  which 
even  the  brightest  of  the  occasional  gleams  of  the  fire  did 
not  extend,  they  turned,  and  paused  a  moment,  in  contem 
plation  of  the  busy  and  lively  party  they  had  left,  and  of 
the  obscurity,  which,  like  the  gloom  of  oblivion,  seemed 
to  envelop  the  rest  of  the  creation. 

"  This  is  indeed  a  subject  for  the  pencil  !  "  exclaimed 
Elizabeth.  "  Observe  the  countenance  of  that  wood- 
chopper,  while  he  exults  in  presenting  a  larger  fish  than 
common  to  my  cousin  Sheriff;  and  see,  Louisa,  how  hand 
some  and  considerate  my  dear  father  looks,  by  the  light  of 
that  fire,  where  he  stands  viewing  the  havoc  of  the  game. 
He  seems  melancholy,  as  if  he  actually  thought  that  a  day 
of  retribution  was  to  follow  this  hour  of  abundance  and 
prodigality  !  Would  they  not  make  a  picture,  Louisa  ?  " 

"  You  know  that  I  am  ignorant  of  all  such  accomplish 
ments,  Miss  Temple." 

"  Call  me  by  my  Christian  name,"  interrupted  Eliz 
abeth  ;  "  this  is  not  a  place,  neither  is  this  a  scene,  for 
forms." 

"  Well,  then,  if  I  may  venture  an  opinion,"  said  Louisa, 
timidly,  "  I  should  think  it  might  indeed  make  a  picture. 
The  selfish  earnestness  of  that  Kirby  over  his  fish  would 
contrast  finely  with  the  —  the  —  expression  of  Mr.  Ed 
wards'  face.  I  hardly  know  what  to  call  it  ;  but  it  is  —  u 
•—is  —  you  know  what  I  would  say  dear  Elizabeth." 


270  THE  PIONEERS. 

%<  You  do  me  too  much  credit,  Miss  Grant,"  said  th« 
heiress ;  "  I  am  no  diviner  of  thoughts,  or  interpreter  of 
expressions." 

There  was  certainly  nothing  harsh,  or  even  cold,  in  the 
manner  of  the  speaker,  but  still  it  repressed  the  conversa 
tion,  and  they  continued  to  stroll  still  further  from  the 
party,  retaining  each  other's  arm,  but  observing  a  profound 
silence.  Elizabeth,  perhaps  conscious  of  the  improper  phra 
seology  of  her  last  speech,  or  perhaps  excited  by  the  new 
object  that  met  her  gaze,  was  the  first  to  break  the  awk 
ward  cessation  in  the  discourse,  by  exclaiming,  — 

"  Look,  Louisa  !  we  are  not  alone  ;  there  ai  ">,  fishermen 
lighting  a  fire  on  the  other  side,  of  the  lake,  immediately 
opposite  to  us  ;  it  must  be  in  front  of  the  cabin  of  Leather- 
Stocking  ! " 

Through  the  obscurity,  which  prevailed  most  immediately 
under  the  eastern  mountain,  a  small  and  uncertain  light  was 
plainly  to  be  seen,  though,  as  it  was  occasionally  lost  to  the 
eye,  it  seemed  struggling  for  existence.  They  observed  it 
to  move,  and  sensibly  to  lower,  as  if  carried  down  the  de 
scent  of  the  bank  to  the  shore.  Here,  in  a  very  short  time, 
its  flame  gradually  expanded,  and  grew  brighter,  until  it 
became  of  the  size  of  a  man's  head,  when  it  continued 
to  shine,  a  steady  ball  of  fire. 

Such  an  object,  lighted  as  it  were  by  magic,  under  the 
brow  of  the  mountain,  and  in  that  retired  and  unfrequented 
place,  gave  double  interest  to  the  beauty  and  singularity  of 
its  appearance.  It  did  not  at  all  resemble  the  large  and 
unsteady  light  of  their  own  fire,  being  much  more  clear  and 
bright,  and  retaining  its  size  and  shape  with  perfect  uni 
formity. 

There  are  moments  when  the  best  regulated  minds  are 
more  or  less  subjected  to  the  injurious  impressions  which 
few  have  escaped  in  infancy ;  and  Elizabeth  smiled  at  her 
own  weakness,  while  she  remembered  the  idle  tales  which 
were  circulated  through  the  village,  at  the  expense  of  the 
Leather-Stocking.  Tie  same  ideas  seized  her  companion, 
and  at  the  same  instant,  for  Louisa  pressed  nearer  to  her 
friend,  as  she  said  in  a  low  voice,  stealing  a  timid  glance 


THE   PIONEERS.  271 

towards  tlio  bushes  and  trees  that  overhung  the  bank  near 
them : 

"  Did  you  ever  hear  the  singular  ways  of  this  Natty 
spoken  of,  Miss. Temple?  They  say  that,  in  his  youth,  he 
was  an  Indian  warrior ;  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  a  white 
man  leagued  with  the  savages ;  and  it  is  thought  he  has 
been  concerned  in  many  of  their  inroads,  in  the  old  wars.'* 

"  The  thing  is  not  at  all  improbable,"  returned  Elizabeth  : 
**  he  is  not  alone  in  that  particular." 

"  No,  surely ;  but  is  it  not  strange  that  he  is  so  cautious 
with  his  hut?  He  never  leaves  it,  without  fastening  it  in 
a  remarkable  manner ;  and  in  several  instances,  when  the 
children,  or  even  the  men  of  the  village,  have  wished  to 
seek  a  shelter  there  from  the  storms,  he  has  been  known  to 
drive  them  from  his  door  with  rudeness  and  threats.  That, 
surely,  is  singular  in  this  country ! " 

"It  is  certainly  not  very  hospitable  ;  but  we  must  remem 
ber  his  aversion  to  the  customs  of  civilized  life.  You  heard 
my  father  &ay,  a  few  days  since,  how  kindly  he  was  treated 
by  him  on  his  first  visit  to  this  place."  Elizabeth  paused, 
and  smiled,  with  an  expression  of  peculiar  archness,  though 
the  darkness  hid  its  meaning  from  her  companion,  as  she 
continued,  "  Besides,  he  certainly  admits  the  visits  of  Mr. 
Edwards,  whom  we  both  know  to  bo  fur  from  a  savage." 

To  this  speech  Louisa  made  no  reply  ;  but  continued 
gazing  on  the  object  which  had  elicited  her  remarks.  In 
addition  to  the  bright  and  circular  flame,  was  now  to  be 
seen  a  fainter,  though  a  vivid  light,  of  an  equal  diameter  to 
the  other  at  the  upper  end ;  but  which,  after  extending 
downwards  for  many  feet,  gradually  tapered  to  a  point  at 
its  lower  extremity.  A  dark  space  was  plainly  visible  be 
tween  the  two ;  and  the  new  illumination  was  placed  be 
neath  the  other ;  the  whole  forming  an  appearance  not 
unlike  an  inverted  note  of  admiration.  It  was  soon  evident 
that  the  latter  was  nothing  but  the  reflection,  from  the 
water,  of  the  former ;  and  that  the  object,  whatever  it  might 
be,  was  advancing  across,  or  rather  over,  the  lake,  for  it 
seemed  to  be  several  feet  above  its  surface,  in  a  direct  line 
with  themselves.  Its  UIDUOD  was  amazingly  rapid,  the 


272  THE  PIONEERS. 

ladies  having  hardly  discovered  that  it  was  moving  at  all, 
before  the  waving  light  of  a  flame  was  discerned,  losing  iti 
regular  shape,  while  it  increased  in  size,  as  it  approached. 

"  It  appears  to  be  supernatural ! "  whispered  Louisa, 
beginning  to  retrace  her  steps  towards  the  party. 

"  It  is  beautiful !  "  exclaimed  Elizabeth, 

A  brilliant,  though  waving  flame,  was  now  plainly  visible, 
gracefully  gliding  over  the  lake,  and  throwing  its  light  on 
the  water  in  such  a  manner  as  to  tinge  it  slightly  ;  though 
in  the  air,  so  strong  was  the  contrast,  the  darkness  seemed 
to  ^ave  the  distinctness  of  material  substances,  as  if  the 
fire  were  embedded  in  a  setting  of  ebony.  This  appearance, 
however,  gradually  wore  off;  and  the  rays  from  the  torch 
struck  out,  and  enlightened  the  atmosphere  in  front  of  it, 
leaving  the  background  in  a  darkness  that  was  more  impen 
etrable  than  ever. 

«  Ho  !  Natty,  is  that  you?  "  shouted  the  Sheriff.  «  Pad 
dle  in,  old  boy,  and  I'll  give  you  a  mess  of  fish  that  is  fit  to 
place  before  the  governor." 

The  light  suddenly  changed  its  direction,  and  a  long  and 
slightly-built  boat  hove  up  out  of  the  gloom,  while  the  red 
glare  fell  on  the  weather-beaten  features  of  the  Leather- 
Stocking,  whose  tall  person  was  seen  erect  in  the  frail  vessel, 
wielding,  with  the  grace  of  an  experienced  boatman,  a  long 
fishing-spear,  which  he  held  by  its  centre,  first  dropping  one 
end  and  then  the  other  into  the  water,  to  aid  in  propell 
ing  the  little  canoe  of  bark,  we  will  not  say  through,  but 
over,  the  water.  At  the  further  end  of  the  vessel  a  form 
was  faintly  seen,  guiding  its  motions,  and  using  a  paddle 
with  the  ease  of  one  who  felt  there  was  no  necessity  for 
exertion.  The  Leather-Stocking  struck  his  spear  lightly 
against  the  short  staff  which  upheld,  on  a  rude  grating 
framed  of  old  hoops  of  iron,  the  knots  of  pine  that  com 
posed  the  fuel,  and  the  light,  which  glared  high,  for  an  in 
stant  fell  on  the  swarthy  features,  and  dark,  glancing  eyes  of 
Mohegan. 

The  boat  glided  along  the  shore  until  it  arrived  opposite 
the  fishing-ground,  when  it  again  changed  its  direction,  an<f 
moved  on  to  the  land,  with  a  motion  so  graceful,  and  yet  so 


THE  PIONEERS.  27S 

rapid,  that  it  seemed  to  possess  the  power  of  regulating  its 
cwn  progress.  The  water  in  front  of  the  canoe  was  hardly 
ruffled  by  its  passage,  and  no  sound  betrayed  the  collision, 
when  the  light  fabric  shot  on  the  gravelly  beach  for  nearly 
half  its  length,  Natty  receding  a  step  or  two  from  its  bow. 
v*.  order  to  facilitate  the  landing. 

"Approach,  Mohegan,"  said  Marmaduke;  "approach, 
Leather-Stocking,  and  load  your. canoe  with  bass.  It  would 
ba  a  shame  to  assail  the  animals  with  the  spear,  when  such 
multitudes  of  victims  lie  here,  that  will  be  lost  as  food  foi 
the  want  of  mouths  to  consume  them." 

"  No,  no,  Judge,"  returned  Natty,  his  tall  figure  stalking 
over  the  narrow  beach,  and  ascending  to  the  little  grassy 
bottom  where  the  fish  were  laid  in  piles :  "  I  eat  of  no  man's 
wasty  ways.  I  strike  my  spear  into  the  eels  or  the  trout, 
when  I  crave  the  creatur's  ;  but  I  wouldn't  be  helping  to 
such  a  sinful  kind  of  fishing  for  the  best  rifle  that  was  ever 
brought  out  from  the  old  countries.  If  they  had  fur,  like  a 
beaver,  or  you  could  tan  their  hides,  like  a  buck,  something 
might  be  said  in  favor  of  taking  them  by  the  thousands  with 
your  nets ;  but  as  God  made  them  for  man's  food,  and  for 
no  other  disarnable  reason,  I  call  it  sinful  and  wasty  to^ 
catch  more  than  can  be  eat." 

"  Your  reasoning  is  mine  ;  for  once,  old  hunter,  we  agree 
in  opinion  ;  and  I  heartily  wish  we  could  make  a  convert 
of  the  Sheriff.  A  net  of  half  the  size  of  this  would  supply 
the  whole  village  with  fish  for  a  week  at  one  haul." 

The  Leather-Stocking  did  not  relish  this  alliance  in  sen 
timent  ;  and  he  shook  his  head  doubtingly,  as  he  answered : 

"  No,  no  ;  we  are  not  much  of  one  mind,  Judge,  or  you'd 
never  turn  good  hunting-grounds  into  stumpy  pastures. 
And  you  fish  and  hunt  out  of  rule ;  but,  to  me,  the  flesh  is 
sweeter  where  the  creatur'  has  some  chance  for  its  life :  for 
that  reason,  I  always  use  a  single  ball,  even  if  it  be  at  a 
bird  or  a  squirrel.  Besides,  it  saves  lead  ;  for,  when  a  body 
knows  how  to  shoot,  one  piece  of  lead  is  enough  for  all, 
except  hard-lived  animals." 

The  Sheriff  heard  these  opinions  with  great  indignation,' 
tnd  when  ho  completed  the  last  arrangement  for  the  divi» 
U 


274  THE  PIONEERS. 

ion,  by  carrying,  with  bis  own  hands,  a  trout  of  a  large  ifize 
and  placing  it  on  four  different  piles  in  succession,  as  his  vac 
illating  ideas  of  justice  required,  he  gave  vent  to  his  spleen. 

"  A  very  pretty  confederacy,  indeed !  Jurlse  Temple, 
the  landlord  and  owner  of  a  township,  with  Nathaniel 
Buinppo,  a  lawless  squatter,  and  professed  deer-killer,  in  or 
der  to  preserve  the  game  of  the  county !  But,  'Duke,  when  I 
fish,  I  fish ;  so,  away,  boys,  for  another  haul,  and  we'll  send! 
out  wagons  and  carts  in  the  morning,  to  bring  in  our  prizes/1 

Marrnaduke  appeared  to  understand  that  all  opposition 
to  the  will  of  the  Sheriff  would  be  useless  ;  and  he  strolled 
from  the  fire  to  the  place  where  the  canoe  of  the  hunters 
lay,  whither  the  ladies  and  Oliver  Edwards  had  already 
preceded  him. 

Curiosity  induced  the  females  to  approach  this  spot ;  but 
it  was  a  different  motive  that  led  the  youth  thither.  Eliza 
beth  examined  the  light  ashen  timbers  and  thin  bark  cov 
ering  of  the  canoe,  in  admiration  of  its  neat  but  simple  exe 
cution,  and  with  wonder  that  any  human  being  could  be  so 
daring  as  to  trust  his  life  in  so  frail  a  vessel.  But  the  youth 
explained  to  her  the  buoyant  properties  of  the  boat,  and  its 
perfect  safety  when  under  proper  management ;  adding,  in 
such  glowing  terms,  a  description  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  fish  were  struck  with  the  spear,  that  she  changed  sud 
denly,  from  an  apprehension  of  the  danger  of  the  excursion, 
to  a  desire  to  participate  in  its  pleasures.  She  even  ven 
tured  a  proposition  to  that  effect  to  her  father,  laughing  at 
the  same  time  at  her  own  wish,  and  accusing  herself  of  act 
ing  under  a  woman's  caprice. 

"  Say  not  so,  Bess,"  returned  the  Judge  :  "  I  would  have 
you  above  the  idle  fears  of  a  silly  girl.  These  canoes  are 
the  safest  kind  of  boats  to  those  who  have  skill  and  steady 
nerves.  I  have  crossed  the  broadest  part  of  the  Oneida  in 
one  much  smaller  than  this." 

"  And  I  the  Ontary,"  interrupted  the  Leather-Stocking ; 
•*  and  that  with  squaws  in  the  canoe,  too.  But  the  Dela 
ware  women  are  used  to  the  paddle,  and  are  good  hands  in 
A  lx>at  of  this  natur'.  If  the  young  lady  would  like  to  see 
an  old  man  strike  a  trout  for  his  breakfast,  she  is  welconifi 


THE  PIONEERS.  276 

to  a  seat.  John  will  say  the  same,  seeing  that  he  built  the 
canoe,  which  was  only  launched  yesterday  :  for  I'm  not  over 
cur'ous  at  such  small  work  as  brooms,  and  basket-making, 
and  other  like  Indian  trades." 

Natty  gave  Elizabeth  one  of  his  significant  laughs,  with 
a  kind  nod  of  the  head,  when  he  concluded  his  invitation  : 
but  Mohegan,  with  the  native  grace  of  an  Indian,  ap 
proached,  and  taking  her  soft  white  hand  into  ois  owr 
swarthy  and  wrinkled  palm,  said,  — 

"  Come,  granddaughter  of  Miquon,  and  John  mil  be 
glad.  Trust  the  Indian  ;  his  head  is  old,  though  his  hand 
is  not  steady.  The  Young  Eagle  will  go,  and  see  that  co 
harm  hurts  his  sister." 

"  Mr.  Edwards,"  said  Elizabeth,  blushing  slightly,  "  your 
friend  Mohegan  has  given  a  promise  for  you.  Do  you  re 
deem  the  pledge  ?  " 

"•  With  my  life,  if  necessary,  Miss  Temple,"  cried  the 
youth,  with  fervor.  "  The  sight  is  worth  some  little  appre 
hension  ;  for  of  real  danger  there  is  none.  I  will  go  with 
you  and  Miss  Grant,  however,  to  save  appearances." 

"  With  me ! "  exclaimed  Louisa.  "  No,  not  with  me, 
Mr.  Edwards  ;  nor,  surely,  do  you  mean  to  trust  yourself 
in  that  slight  canoe." 

"  But  I  shall ;  for  I  have  no  apprehensions  any  longer," 
said  Elizabeth,  stepping  into  the  boat,  and  taking  a  seat 
where  the  Indian  directed.  "  Mr.  Edwards,  you  may  re 
main,  as  three  do  seem  to  be  enough  for  such  an  egg-shell." 

"It  shall  hold  a  fourth,"  cried  the  young  man,  springing 
to  her  side,  with  a  violence  that  nearly  shook  the  weak  fab 
ric  of  the  vessel  asunder.  "  Pardon  me,  Miss  Temple,  that 
I  do  not  permit  these  venerable  Charons  to  take  you  to  the 
shades  unattended  by  your  genius." 

"  Is  it  a  good  or  evil  spirit  ?  "  asked  Elizabeth. 

"  Good  to  you." 

u  And  mine,"  added  the  maiden.  w:th  an  air  that  strangely 
blended  pique  with  satisfaction.  But  the  motion  of  the  ca 
noe  gave  rise  to  new  ideas,  and  fortunately  afforded  a  good 
excuse  to  the  young  man  tc  change  the  discourse. 

It  appeared  to  Elizabeth  that  they  glided  over  the  water 


276  TIIE   PIONEERS. 

by  magic,  so  easy  and  graceful  was  the  manner  in  which 
Mohegan  guided  his  little  bark.  A  slight  gesture  with  hia 
spear  indicated  the  way  in  which  the  Leather-Stocking 
wished  to  go,  and  a  profound  silence  was  preserved  by  the 
whole  party,  as  a  precaution  necessary  to  the  success  of  their 
fishery.  At  that  point  of  the  lake,  the  water  shoaled  regu 
larly,  differiHg  in  this  particular,  altogether,  from  those  parts 
where  the  mountains  rose,  nearly  in  perpendicular  precipices, 
from  the  beach.  There,  the  largest  vessels  could  have  lain, 
with  their  yards  interlocked  with  the  pines ;  while  here  a 
scanty  growth  of  rushes  lifted  their  tops  above  the  lake, 
gently  curling  the  waters,  as  their  bending  heads  waved 
with  the  passing  breath  of  the  night  air.  It  was  at  the 
shallow  points,  only,  that  the  bass  could  be  found,  or  the 
net  cast  with  success. 

Elizabeth  saw  thousands  of  these  fish  swimming  in  shoals 
along  the  shallow  and  warm  waters  of  the  shore  ;  for  the 
flaring  light  of  their  torch  laid  bare  the  mysteries  of  the 
lake,  as  plainly  as  if  the  limpid  sheet  of  tha  Otsego  was  but 
another  atmosphere.  Every  instant  she  expected  to  see  the 
impending  spear  of  Leather-Stocking  darting  into  the 
thronging  hosts  that  were  rushing  beneath  her,  where  it 
would  seem  that  a  blow  could  not  go  amiss ;  and  where,  as 
her  father  had  already  said,  the  prize  that  would  be  obtained 
was  worthy  any  epicure.  Natty  had  his  peculiar  habits, 
and,  it  would  seem,  his  peculiar  tastes  also.  His  tall  stature, 
and  his  erect  posture,  enabled  him  to  see  much  further  than 
those  who  were  seated  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe ;  and  he 
turned  his  head  warily  in  every  direction,  frequently  bend 
ing  his  body  forward,  and  straining  his  vision,  as  if  desirous 
of  penetrating  the  water  that  surrounded  their  boundary  of 
light.  At  length  his  anxious  scrutiny  was  rewarded  with 
success,  and,  waving  his  spear  from  the  shore,  he  said  in  a 
cautious  tone,  — 

"  Send  her  outside  the  bass,  John ;  I  see  a  laker  there; 
that  has  run  out  of  the  school.  It's  seldom  one  finds  such 
a  creatur'  in  shallow  water,  where  a  spear  can  touch  it." 

Mohegan  gave  a  wave  of  assent  with  his  hand,  and  in 
the  next  instant  the  canoe  was  without  the  "  run  of  the 


THE   PIONEERS.  277 

bass,"  and  ia  water  nearly  twenty  feet  in  depth.  A  few 
additional  knots  were  laid  on  the  grating,  and  tho  light 
penetrated  to  the  bottom.  Elizabeth  then  saw  a  fish  of 
unusual  size  floating  above  small  pieces  of  logs  and  sticks. 
The  animal  was  only  distinguishable,  at  that  distance,  by  a 
slight,  but  almost  imperceptible  motion  of  its  fins  and  tail. 
The  curiosity  excited  by  this  unusual  exposure  of  the 
secrets  of  the  lake  seemed  to  be  mutual  between  the  heiress 
of  the  land  and  the  lord  of  these  waters,  for  the  "  salmon- 
trout  "  soon  announced  his  interest  by  raising  his  head  and 
body  for  a  few  degrees  above  a  horizontal  line,  and  then 
dropping  them  again  into  a  horizontal  position. 

"  Whist !  whist !  "  said  Natty,  in  a  low  voice,  on  hearing 
a  slight  sound  made  by  Elizabeth  in  bending  over  the  side 
of  the  canoe  in  curiosity ;  "  'tis  a  skeary  animal,  and  it's  a 
far  stroke  for  a  spear.  My  handle  is  but  fourteen  foot,  and 
the  creator  lies  a  good  eighteen  from  the  top  of  the  water ; 
but  I'll  try  him,  for  he's  a  ten-pounder." 

While  speaking,  the  Leather-Stocking  was  poising  and 
directing,  his  weapon.  Elizabeth  saw  the  bright,  polished 
tines,  as  they  slowly  and  silently  entered  the  water,  where 
the  refraction  pointed  them  many  degrees  from  the  true 
direction  of  the  fish ;  and  she  thought  that  the  intended 
victim  saw  them  also,  as  he  seemed  to  increase  the  play  of 
his  tail  and  fins,  though  without  moving  his  station.  At 
the  next  instant  the  tall  body  of  Natty  bent  to  the  water's 
edge,  and  the  handle  of  his  spear  disappeared  in  the  lake. 
The  long,  dark  streak  of  the  gliding  weapon,  and  the  little 
bubbling  vortex  which  followed  its  rapid  flight,  were  easily 
to  be  seen ;  but  it  was  not  until  the  handle  shot  again  into 
the  air  by  its  own  reaction,  and  its  master,  catching  it  in  hi§ 
hand,  threw  its  tines  uppermost,  that  Elizabeth  was  ac- 
(juainted  with  the  success  of  the  blow.  A  fish  of  great  size 
was  transfixed  by  the  barbed  steel,  and  was  very  SOOD 
shaken  from  its  impaled  situation  into  the  bottom  of  the 
canoe. 

"  That  will  do,  John,"  said  Natty,  raising  his  prize  by 
one  of  his  fingers,  and  exhibiting  it  before  the  torch  ;  "  I 
shall  not  strike  another  blow  to-night." 


278  THE  PIONEERS. 

The  Indian  again  waved  his  hand,  and  replied  with  the 
simple  and  energetic  monosyllable  of, — 

"Good!" 

Elizabeth  was  awakened  from  the  trance  created  by  thia 
scene,  and  by  gazing  in  that  unusual  manner  at  the  bottom 
of  the  lake,  by  the  hoarse  sounds  of  Benjamin's  voice, 
and  the  dashing  of  oars,  as  the  heavier  boat  of  the  seine- 
drawers  approached  the  spot  where  the  canoe  lay,  dragging 
after  it  the  folds  of  the  net. 

"  Haul  off,  haul  off,  Master  Bumppo,"  cried  Benjamin ; 
'*  your  top-light  frightens  the  fish,  who  see  the  net  and  sheer 
off  soundings.  A  fish  knows  as  much  as  a  horse,  or,  for 
that  matter,  more,  seeing  that  it's  brought  up  on  the  water 
Haul  off,  Master  Bumppo,  haul  off,  I  say,  and  give  a  wide 
berth  to  the  seine." 

Mohegan  guided  their  little  canoe  to  a  point  where  the 
movements  of  the  fishermen  could  be  observed,  without  inter 
ruption  to  the  business,  and  then  suffered  it  to  lie  quietly 
on  the  water,  looking  like  an  imaginary  vessel  floating  in 
air.  There  appeared  to  be  much  ill-humor  among  the 
party  in  the  batteau,  for  the  directions  of  Benjamin  were 
not  only  frequent,  but  issued  in  a  voice  that  partook  largely 
of  dissatisfaction. 

"  Pull  larboard  oar,  will  ye,  Master  Kirby  ? "  cried  the 
old  seaman ;  "  pull  larboard  best.  It  would  puzzle  the  old 
est  admiral  in  the  British  fleet  to  cast  this  here  net  fair, 
with  a  wake  like  a  corkscrew.  Pull  starboard,  boy,  pull 
starboard  oar,  with  a  will." 

"  Harkee,  Mister  Pump,"  said  Kirby,  ceasing  to  row,  and 
speaking  with  some  spirit ;  "  I'm  a  man  that  likes  civil  lan 
guage  and  decent  treatment,  such  as  is  right  'twixt  man  and 
man.  If  you  want  us  to  go  hoy,  say  so,  and  hoy  I'll  go, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  company  ;  but  I'm  not  used  to  being 
ordered  about  like  dumb  cattle." 

.  "  Who's  dumb  cattle  ? "  echoed  Benjamin  fiercely,  turn 
ing  his  forbidding  face  to  the  glare  of  light  from  the  canoe, 
and  exhibiting  every  feature  teeming  with  the  expression 
of  disgust.  "If  you  want  to  come  aft  and  cun  the  boat 
round,  come  and  be  damned,  and  pretty  steerage  you'll 


THE  PIONEERS.  279 

make  of  it.  There's  but  another  heave  of  the  net  in  the 
stern-sheets,  and  we're  clear  of  the  thing.  Give  way,  will 
ye? "and  shoot  her  ahead  for  a  fathom  or  two,  and  if  you 
catch  me  afloat  again  with  such  a  horse-marine  as  yourself, 
why  rate  me  a  ship's  jackass,  that's  all." 

Probably  encouraged  by  the  prospect  of  a  speedy  ter 
mination  to  his  labor,  the  wood-chopper  resumed  his  oar, 
and,  under  strong  excitement,  gave  a  stroke,  that  not  only 
cleared  the  boat  of  the  net,  but  of  the  steward,  at  the  same 
instant.  Benjamin  had  stood  on  the  little,  platform  that 
held  the  seine,  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and  the  violent 
whirl  occasioned  by  the  vigor  of  the  wood-chopper's  arm 
completely  destroyed  his  balance.  The  position  of  the  lights 
rendered  objects  in  the  batteau  distinguishable,  both  from 
the  canoe  and  the  shore ;  and  the  heavy  fall  on  the  water 
drew  all  eyes  to  the  steward,  as  he  lay  struggling,  for  a 
moment.,  in  sight. 

A  loud  burst  of  merriment,  to  which  the  lungs  of  Kirby 
contributed  no  small  part,  broke  out  like  a  chorus  of  laugh 
ter,  and  rang  along  the  eastern  mountain,  in  echoes,  until 
it  died  away  in  distant,  mocking  mirth,  among  the  rocks 
and  woods.  The  body  of  the  steward  was  seen  slowly  to 
disappear,  as  was  expected ;  but  when  the  light  waves, 
which  had  been  raised  by  his  fall,  began  to  sink  in  calmness, 
and  the  water  finally  closed  over  his  head,  unbroken  and 
still,  a  very  different  feeling  pervaded  the  spectators. 

"  How  fare  you,  Benjamin  ?  "  shouted  Richard  from  the 
§hore. 

"  The  dumb  devil  can't  swim  a  stroke  !  "  exclaimed  Kirby, 
rising,  and  beginning  to  throw  aside  his  clothes. 

"  Paddle  up,  Mohegan,"  cried  young  Edwards,  "  the  light 
will  show  us  where  he  lies,  and  I  will  dive  for  the  body." 

"  O !  save  him  !  for  God's  sake,  save  him ! "  exclaimed 
Elizabeth,  bowing  her  head  on  the  side  of  the  canoe  in 
horror. 

A  powerful  and  dexterous  sweep  of  Mohegan's  paddle 
lent  the  canoe  directly  over  the  spot  where  the  steward  hid 
fallen,  and  a  loud  shot  from  the  Leather-Stocking  announced 
that  he  saw  the  body. 


280  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  Steady  the  boat  while  I  dive,"  again  cried  Edwards. 

"  Gently,  lad,  gently,"  said  Natty ;  "  I'll  spear  the  creatur 
up  in  half  the  time,  and  no  risk  to  anybody."  • 

The  form  of  Benjamin  was  lying,  about  half-way  to  the 
bottom,  grasping  with  both  hands  some  broken  rushes. 
The  blood  of  Elizabeth  curdled  to  her  heart,  as  she  saw 
the  figure  of  a  fellow  -creature  thus  extended  under  an  im 
mense  sheet  of  water,  apparently  in  motion,  by  the  undu 
lations  of  the  dying  waves,  with  its  face  and  hands,  viewed 
by  that  light,  and  through  the  medium  of  the  fluid,  already 
colored  with  hues  like  death. 

At  the  same  install  1,  she  saw  the  shining  tines  of  Natty's 
spear  approaching  the  head  of  the  sufferer,  and  entwining 
themselves,  rapidly  and  dexterously,  in  the  hairs  of  his 
queue  and  the  cape  of  his  coat.  The  body  was  now  raised 
slowly,  looking  ghastly  and  grim,  as  its  features  turned  up 
wards  to  the  light,  and  approached  the  surface.  The 
arrival  of  the  nostrils  of  Benjamin  into  their  own  atmos 
phere  was  announced  by  a  breathing  that  would  have  done 
credit  to  a  porpoise.  For  a  moment,  Natty  held  the 
steward  suspended,  with  his  head  just  above  the  water, 
while  his  eyes  slowly  opened,  and  stared  about  him,  as  if 
he  thought  that  he  had  reached  a  new  and  unexplored 
country. 

As  all  the  parties  acted  and  spoke  together,  much  less 
time  was  consumed  in  the  occurrence  of  these  events,  than  in 
their  narration.  To  bring  the  batteau  to  the  end  of  the 
spear,  and  to  raise  the  form  of  Benjamin  into  the  boat,  and  * 
tor  the  whole  party  to  gain  the  shore,  required  but  a  minute. 
Kirby,  aided  by  Richard,  whose  anxiety  induced  him  to  run 
into  the  water  to  meet  his  favorite  assistant,  carried  the 
motionless  steward  up  the  bank,  and  seated  him  before  the 
lire,  while  the  Sheriff  proceeded  to  order  the  most  approved 
measures  then  in  use,  for  the  resuscitation  of  the  drowned. 

"  Run,  Billy,"  he  cried,  "  to  the  village,  and  bring  up  the 
rum-hogshead  that  lies  before  the  door,  in  which  I  am 
making  vinegar,  and  be  quick,  boy,  don't  stay  to  empty  the 
vinegar ;  and  stop  at  Mr.  Le  Quoi's.  and  buy  a  paper  of 
tobacco  and  half-a-dozen  pipes  ;  and  ask  Remarkable  foi 


THE   PIONEERS.  281 

•ome  salt,  and  oue  of  her  flannel  petticoats ;  and  ask  Dr, 
Todd  to  send  Ins  lancet,  and  to  come  himself;  and  —  ha! 
'Duke,  what  are  you  about  ?  would  you  strangle  a  man  who 
is  full  of  water,  by  givmg  him  ruin  !  Help  me  to  open  his 
hand,  that  I  may  pat  it." 

All  this  time  Benjamin  sat,  with  his  muscles  fixed,  his 
mouth  shut,  and  his  hands  clenching  the  rushes,  which  he 
had  seized  in  the  confusion  of  the  moment,  and  which,  as  ho 
held  fast,  like  a  true  seaman,  had  been  the  means  of  pre- 
venting  his  body  from  rising  again  to  the  surface.  His  eyes, 
however,  were  open,  and  stared  wildly  on  the  group  about 
the  fire,  while  his  lungs  were  playing  like  a  blacksmith's 
bellows,  as  if  to  compensate  themselves  for  the  minute  of 
inaction  to  which  they  had  been  subjected.  As  he  kept 
his  lips  compressed,  with  a  most  inveterate  determination, 
the  air  was  compelled  to  pass  through  his  nostrils,  and  he 
rather  snorted  than  breathed,  and  in  such  a  manner,  tha* 
nothing  but  the  excessive  agitation  of  the  Sheriff  could  as 
all  justify  his  precipitous  orders. 

The  bottle,  applied  to  the  steward's  lips  by  Marmaduke, 
acted  like  a  charm.  His  mouth  opened  instinctively ;  his 
hands  dropped  the  rushes,  and  seized  the  glass ;  his  eyes 
raised  from  their  horizontal  stare  to  the  heavens  ;  and  the 
whole  man  was  lost  for  a  moment,  in  a  new  sensation.  Un 
happily  for  the  propensity  of  the  steward,  breath  was  as 
necessary  after  one  of  these  draughts  as  after  his  submersion, 
and  the  time  at  length  arrived  when  he  was  compelled  to 
let  go  the  bottle. 

"  Why,  Benjamin ! "  roared  the  Sheriff;  "  you  amaza 
\ne  !  for  a  man  of  your  experience  in  drownings  to  act  so 
foolishly !  just  now,  you  were  half  full  of  water,  and  now 
you  are"  — 

"  Full  of  grog,"  interrupted  the  steward,  his  features 
settling  down,  with  amazing  flexibility,  into  their  natural 
economy.  "  But,  d'ye  see,  Squire,  I  kept  my  hatches  close, 
and  it  is  but  little  water  that  ever  gets  into  my  scuttle-butt. 
Harkee,  Master  Kirby !  I've  followed  the  salt  water  fcr  the 
better  part  of  a  man's  life,  and  have  seen  some  navigation 
on  the  fresh ;  but  this  here  matter  I  will  say  in  your  favor, 
•nd  that  is,  that  you're  the  awk'ardest  grccn'uri  that  evct 


282  THE  PIONEERS. 

straddled  a  boat's  thwart.  Them  that  likes  you  for  a  ship 
mate,  may  sail  with  you  and  no  thanks;  but  dam'me  if  I 
even  walk  on  the  lake  shore  in  your  company.  For  why  ? 
you'd  as  lief  drown  a  man  as  one  of  them  there  fish ;  not  to 
throw  a  Christian  creature  so  much  as  a  rope's  end,  wken 
he  was  adrift,  and  no  life-buoy  in  sight !  Natty  Bumppo, 
give  us  your  list.  There's  them  that  says  you're  an  Indian, 
and  a  scalper,  but  you've  served  me  a  good  turn,  and  you 
may  set  me  down  for  a  friend ;  tho'f  it  would  have  been 
more  ship-shape  to  lower  the  bight  of  a  rope,  or  running 
bow-line,  below  me,  than  to  seize  an  old  seaman  by  his 
head-lanyard  ;  but  I  suppose  you  are  used  to  taking  men 
by  the  hair,  and  seeing  you  did  me  good  instead  of  harm 
thereby,  why,  it's  the  same  thing,  d'ye  see." 

Marrnaduke  prevented  any  reply,  and  assuming  the  direc 
tion  of  meters  with  a  dignity  and  discretion  that  at  once 
silenced  all  opposition  from  his  cousin,  Benjamin  was  de 
spatched  to  the  village  by  land,  and  the  net  was  hauled  to 
shore  in  such  a  manner,  that  the  fish  for  once  escaped  its 
meshes  with  impunity. 

The  division  of  the  spoils  was  made  in  the  ordinary 
manner,  by  placing  one  of  the  party  with  his  back  to  the 
game,  who  named  the  owner  of  each  pile.  Billy  Kirby 
stretched  his  large  frame  on  the  grass  by  the  side  of  the 
fire,  as  sentinel  until  morning,  over  net  and  fish ;  and  the 
remainder  of  the  party  embarked  in  the  batteau,  to  return 
to  the  village. 

The  wood-chopper  was  seen  broiling  his  supper  on  the 
coais  as  they  lost  sight  of  the  fire  ;  and  when  the  boat  ap 
proached  the  shore,  the  torch  of  Mohegan's  canoe  was  shin 
ing  again  under  the  gloom  of  the  eastern  mountain.  Its 
motion  ceased  suddenly  ;  a  scattering  of  brands  was  in  the 
air,  and  then  all  remained  dark  as  the  conjunction  of  night, 
forest,  and  mountain  could  render  the  scene. 

The  thoughts  of  Elizabeth  wandered  from  the  youth,  who 
was  holding  a  canopy  of  shawls  over  herself  and  Louisa,  to 
the  hunter  and  the  Indian  warrior;  and  she  felt  an  awaken* 
ing  curiosity  to  visit  a  hut,  where  men  of  such  different 
habits  and  temperament  were  drawn  together  as  by  com 
toon  impulse. 


THE  PIONEERS.  28* 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

Cease  all  this  parlance  about  hills  and  dales ; 
None  listen  to  thy  scenes  of  boyish  frolic, 
Fond  dotard!  with  such  tickled  ears  as  thou  dost; 
Come!  to  thy  tale. 

Duo. 

MR.  JONES  arose  on  the  following  morning  with  the  sun, 
and  ordering  his  own  and  Marmaduke's  steeds  to  be  saddled, 
he  proceeded,  with  a  countenance  big  with  some  business  of 
unusual  moment,  to  the  apartment  of  the  Judge.  The  door 
was  unfastened,  and  Richard  entered,  with  the  freedom  that 
characterized  not  only  the  intercourse  between  the  cousins, 
but  the  ordinary  manners  of  the  Sheriff. 

"  Well  'Duke,  to  horse,"  he  cried,  "  and  I  will  explain  to 
you  my  meaning  in  the  allusions  I  made  last  night.  David 
says,  in  the 'Psalms  —  no,  it  was  Solomon,  but  it  was  all  in 
the  family  —  Solomon  said  there  was  a  time  for  all  things ; 
and  in  my  humble  opinion,  a  fishing  party  is  not  the  mo 
ment  for  discussing  important  subjects.  Ha  !  why,  what 
the  devil  ails  you,  Marmaduke  ?  ain't  you  well  ?  let  me  feel 
your  pulse  ;  my  grandfather,  you  know  "  — 

"  Quite  well  in  the  body,  Richard,"  interrupted  the  Judge, 
repulsing  his  cousin,  who  was  about  to  assume  the  functions 
that  properly  belonged  to  Dr.  Todd  ;  "  but  ill  at  heart.  I 
received  letters  by  the  post  of  last  night,  after  we  returned 
from  the  point,  and  this  among  the  number." 

The  Sheriff  took  the  letter,  but  without  turning  his  eyea 
on  the  writing,  for  he  was  examining  the  appearance  of  the 
other  with  astonishment.  From  the  face  of  his  cousin  the 
gaze  of  Richard  wandered  to  the  table,  which  was  covered 
with  letters,  packets,  and  newspapers  ;  then  to  the  upart- 
Jtient  and  all  that  it  contained.  On  the  bed  there  was  the 
impression  that  had  been  made  by  a  human  form,  but  thf 


284  TUB  PIONEEES. 

coverings  were  unmoved,  and  everything  indicated  that  the 
occupant  of  the  room  had  passed  a  sleepless  night.  The 
candles  had  burned  to  the  sockets,  and  had  evidently  ex 
tinguished  themselves  in  their  own  fragments.  Marmaduke 
had  drawn  his  curtains,  and  opened  both  the  shutters  and 
the  sashes,  to  admit  the  balmy  air  of  a  spring  morning 
but  his  pale  cheek,  his  quivering  lip,  and  his  sunken  eye, 
presented  altogether  so  very  different  an  appearance  from 
the  usual  calm,  manly,  and  cheerful  aspect  of  the  Judge, 
that  the  Sheriff  grew  each  moment  more  and  more  be 
wildered  with  astonishment.  At  length  Richard  found  time 
to  cast  his  eyes  on  the  direction  of  the  letter,  which  he  still 
held  unopened,  crumpling  it  in  his  hand. 

"  What !  a  ship-letter !  "  he  exclaimed ;  "  and  from  Eng 
land  !  ha !  'Duke,  there  must  be  news  of  importance  in 
deed  ! " 

"  Read  it,"  said  Marmaduke,  pacing  the  floor  in  excessive 
agitation. 

Richard,  who  commonly  thought  aloud,  was  unable  to 
read  a  letter  without  suffering  part  of  its  contents  to  escape, 
him  in  audible  sounds.  So  much  of  the  epistle  as  was 
divulged  in  that  manner, 'we  shall  lay  before  the  reader,  ac 
companied  by  the  passing  remarks  of  the  Sheriff :  — 

"  <  London,  February  12th,  1793.'  What  a  devil  of  a 
passage  she  had !  but  the  wind  has  been  northwest  for  six 
weeks,  until  within  the  last  fortnight. 

" '  Sir,  your  favors  of  August  10th,  September  23d,  and  of 
December  1st,  were  received  in  due  season,  and  the  first 
answered  by  return  of  packet.  Since  the  receipt  of  the  last, 
I '  "  —  here  a  long  passage  was  rendered  indistinct,  by  a 
«ind  of  humming  noise  made  by  the  Sheriff.  "  '  I  grieve  to 
say,  that '  —  hum,  hum,  bad  enough  to  be  sure  —  4  but  trust 
that  a  merciful  Providence  has  seen  fit '  —  hum,  hum,  hum; 
seems  to  be  a  good  pious  sort  of  a  man,  'Duke  ;  belongs  to 
the  Established  Church,  I  dare  say  ;  hum,  hum  — '  vessel 
Bailed  from  Falmouth  on  or  about  the  1st  September  of  last 
year,  and '  —  hum,  hum,  hum.  '  If  anything  should  trans 
pire  on  this  afflicting  subject  shall  not  fail '  —  hum,  hum 
really  a  good-hearted  man  for  u  lawyer,  —  *  but  can  comnou 


THE   PIONEERS.  285 

mcate  nothing  further  at  present' — hum,  hum.  *  The  na 
tional  convention  '  —  hum,  hum  —  '  unfortunate  Louis  '  — 
hum,  hum  — '  example  of  your  Washington  '  —  a  very  sen 
sible  man,  I  declare,  and  none  of  your  crazy  democrats. 
Hum,  hum  —  *  our  gallant  navy  '  —  hum,  hum  —  '  under 
our  most  excellent  monarch ' —  aye,  a  good  man  enough, 
that  King  George,  but  bad  advisers  ;  hum,  hum  — '  I  beg 
to  conclude  with  assurances  of  my  perfect  respect '  —  hum, 
hum  — < ANDREW  HOLT/  Andrew  Holt  —  a  very  sensi 
ble,  feeling  man,  this  Mr.  Andrew  Holt  —  but  the  writer  of 
evil  tidings.  What  will  you  do  next,  cousin  Marmaduke  ?  " 

"  What  can  I  do,  Richard",  but  trust  to  time,  and  the  will 
of  Heaven  ?  Here  is  another  letter  from  Connecticut,  but 
it  only  repeats  the  substance  of  the  last.  There  is  but  one 
consoling  reflection  to  be  gathered  from  the  English  news, 
which  is,  that  my  last  letter  was  received  by  him  before  the 
ship  sailed." 

"  This  is  bad  enough,  indeed !  'Duke,  bad  enough,  in 
deed  !  and  away  go  all  rny  plans  of  putting  wings  to  the 
house,  to  the  devil.  I  had  made  arrangements  for  a  ride 
to  introduce  you  to  something  of  a  very  important  nature. 
You  know  how  much  you  think  of  mines  "  — 

"  Talk  not  of  mines,"  interrupted  the  Judge ;  "  there  is  a 
sacred  duty  to  be  performed,  and  that  without  delay.  I 
must  devote  this  day  to  writing  ;  and  thou  must  be  my  as 
sistant,  Richard ;  it  will  not  do  to  employ  Oliver  in  a  matter 
of  such  secrecy  and  interest." 

"  No,  no,  'Duke,"  cried  the  Sheriff,  squeezing  his  hand  ; 
"  I  am  your  man,  just  now  ;  we  are  sisters'  children,  and 
blood,  after  all,  is  the  best  cement  to  make  friendship  stick 
together.  Well,  well,  there  is  no  hurry  about  the  silver 
mine,  just  now ;  another  time  will  do  as  well.  We  shall 
want  Dirky  Van,  I  suppose?" 

Marmaduke  assented  to  tin's  indirect  question,  and  the 
SheritF  relinquished  all  his  intentions  on  the  subject  of  the 
ride,  and  repairing  to  the  breakfast  parlor,  he  despatched  a 
Jnessenger  to  require  the  immediate  presence  of  Dirck  Vau 
dor  School. 

The  village  of  Templeton  at  that  time  supported  but  twt 


286  THE   PIONEERS. 

lawyers,  one  of  whom  was  introduced  to  our  readers  in  the 
bar-rooin  of  the  "  Bold  Dragoon,"  and  the  other  was  the 
gentleman  of  whom  Richard  spoke  by  the  friendly  yet 
familiar  appellation  of  Dirck,  or  Dirky  Van.  Great  good 
nature,  a  very  tolerable  share  of  skill  in  his  profession,  and, 
considering  the  circumstances,  no  contemptible  degree  of 
honesty,  were  the  principal  ingredients  in  the  character  of 
this  man,  who  was  known  to  the  settlers  as  Squire  Van  der 
School,  and  sometimes  by  the  flattering,  though  anomalous 
title  of  the  "  Dutch  "  or  "  honest  lawyer."  We  would  not 
wish  to  mislead  our  readers  in  their  conceptions  of  any  of 
our  characters,  and  we  therefore  feel  it  necessary  to  add, 
that  the  adjective,  in  the  preceding  agnomen  of  Mr.  Van  der 
School,  was  used  in  direct  reference  to  its  substantive.  Our 
orthodox  friends  need  not  be  told,  that  all  merit  in  this  world 
is  comparative;  and  once  for  all,  we  desire  to  say,  that  where 
anything  which  involves  qualities  or  character  is  asserted, 
we  must  be  understood  to  mean,  "under  the  circumstances." 

During  the  remainder  of  the  day,  the  Judge  was  closeted 
with  his  cousin  and  his  lawyer  ;  and  no  one  else  was  ad 
mitted  to  his  apartment,  excepting  his  daughter.  The  deep 
distress,  that  so  evidently  affected  Marmaduke,  was  in  some 
measure  communicated  to  Elizabeth  also  ;  for  a  look  of  de 
jection  shaded  her  intelligent  features,  and  the  buoyancy  of 
her  animated  spirits  was  sensibly  softened.  Once  on  that 
day,  young  Edwards,  who  was  a  wondering  and  observant 
spectator  of  the  sudden  alteration  produced  in  the  heads  of 
the  family,  detected  a  tear  stealing  over  the  cheek  of  Eliza 
beth,  and  suffusing  her  bright  eyes  with  a  softness  that  did 
not  always  belong  to  their  expression. 

u  Have  any  evil  tidings  been  received,  Miss  Temple  ?  " 
te  inquired,  with  an  interest  and  voice  that  caused  Louisa 
Grant  to  raise  her  head  from  her  needlework,  with  a  quick 
ness  at  which  she  instantly  blushed  herself.  u  I  would  offer 
my  services  to  your  father,  if,  as  I  suspect,  he  needs  an  agent 
in  some  distant  place,  and  I  thought  it  would  give  you  re 
lief." 

"  We  have  certainly  heard  bad  news,"  returned  Elizabeth, 
'*  and  it  may  be  necessary  that  my  father  should  leave  homf 


THE  PIONEERS.  287 

for  a  short  period  ;  unless  I  can  persuade  him  to  trust  my 
cousin  Richard  with  the  business,  whose  absence  from  the 
country,  just  at  this  time,  too,  might  be  inexpedient." 

The  youth  paused  a  moment,  and  the  blood  gathered 
slowly  to  his  temples,  as  he  continued,  — 

"  If  it  be  of  a  nature  that  I  could  execute  "  — 

"  It  is  such  as  can  only  be  confided  to  one  we  know  — 
one  of  ourselves." 

"  Surely,  you  know  me,  Miss  Temple  !  "  he  added,  with 
a  warmth  that  he  seldom  exhibited,  but  which  did  some 
times  escape  him,  in  the  moments  of  their  frank  communica 
tions.  "  Have  I  lived  five  months  under  your  roof  to  be  a 
stranger  ?  " 

Elizabeth  was  engaged  with  her  needle  also,  and  she  bent 
her  head  to  one  side,  affecting  to  arrange  her  muslin ;  but 
her  hand  shook,  her  color  heightened,  and  her  eyes  lost  their 
moisture  in  an  expression  of  ungovernable  interest,  as  she 
said,  — 

"  How  much  do  we  know  of  you,  Mr.  Edwards  ?  " 

"  How  much ! "  echoed  the  youth,  gazing  from  the 
speaker  to  the  mild  countenance  of  Louisa,  that  was  also 
illuminated  with  curiosity ;  "  how  much  !  have  I  been  so 
long  an  inmate  with  you  and  not  known  ?  " 

The  head  of  Elizabeth  turned  slowly  from  itb  affected 
position,  and  the  look  of  confusion  that  had  blended  so 
strongly  with  an  expression  of  interest  changed  to  a  smile. 

"  We  know  you,  sir,  indeed  ;  you  are  called  Mr.  Oliver 
Edwards.  I  understand  that  you  have  informed  my  friend, 
Miss  Grant,  that  you  are  a  native  "  — 

"  Elizabeth ! "  exclaimed  Louisa,  blushing  to  the  eyes, 
and  trembling  like  an  aspen ;  "you  misunderstood  me, 
dear  Miss  Temple  ;  I  —  I  —  it  was  only  conjecture.  Be 
sides,  if  Mr.  Edwards  is  related  to  the  natives,  why  should 
we  reproach  him  ?  In  what  are  we  better  ?  at  least  I,  who 
am  the  child  of  a  poor  and  unsettled  clergyman  ?  " 

Elizabeth  shook  her  head  doubtingly,  and  even  laughed, 
but  made  no  reply ;  until,  observing  the  melancholy  which 
pervaded  the  countenance  of  her  companion,  who  was  think 
ing  of  the  poverty  and  labors  of  her  father,  she  con« 
tinned.-— 


288  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  Nay,  Louisa,  humility  carries  you  too  far.  The  daugh 
ter  of  a  minister  of  the  Church  can  have  no  superiors. 
Neither  I  nor  Mr.  Edwards  is  quite  your  equal,  unless," 
she  added,  again  smiling,  "  he  is  in  secret  a  king." 

"  A  faithful  servant  of  the  King  of  kings,  Miss  Temple, 
is  inferior  to  none  on'  earth,"  said  Louisa ;  "  but  his  honors 
are  his  own ;  I  am  only  the  child  of  a  poor  and  friendless 
man,  and  can  claim  no  other  distinction.  .  Why,  then,  should 
J  feol  myself  elevated  above  Mr.  Edwards,  because — Be 
cause  —  perhaps  he  is  only  very,  very  distantly  related  to 
John  Mohegan  ?  " 

Glances  of  a  very  comprehensive  meaning  were  ex 
changed  between  the  heiress  and  the  young  man,  as  Louisa 
betrayed,  while  vindicating  his  lineage,  the  reluctance  with 
which  she  admitted  his  alliance  with  the  old  warrior ;  but 
not  even  a  smile  at  the  simplicity  of  their  companion  was 
indulged  by  either. 

"  On  reflection,  I  must  acknowledge  that  my  situation 
here  is  somewhat  equivocal,"  said  Edwards,  "  though  I  may 
be  said  to  have  purchased  it  with  my  blood." 

u  The  blood,  too,  of  one  of  the  native  lords  of  the  soil ! " 
cried  Elizabeth,  who  evidently  put  little  faith  in  his  abo 
riginal  descent. 

"  Do  I  bear  the  marks  of  my  lineage  so  very  plainly 
impressed  on  my  appearance?  I  am  dark,  but  not  very 
red  —  not  more  so  than  common  ?  " 

u  Rather  more  so,  just  now." 

"  I  am  sure,  Miss  Temple,"  cried  Louisa,  "  you  cannot 
have  taken  much  notice  of  Mr.  Edwards.  His  eyes  are 
not  so  black  as  Mohegan's  or  even  your  own,  nor  is  his 
hair!" 

"  Very  possibly,  then,  I  can  lay  claim  to  the  same  de 
scent.  It  would  be  a  great  relief  to  my  mind  to  think  so, 
for  I  own  that  I  grieve  when  I  see  old  Mohegan  walking 
about  these  lands,  like  the  ghost  of  one  of  their  ancient 
possessors,  and  feel  how  small  is  my  own  right  to  possess 
them." 

"  Do  you  ? "  cried  the  youth,  with  a  vehemence  that 
•tartled  the  ladies. 


THE   PIONEERS.  289 

w  1  do,  indeed"  returned  Elizabeth,  after  suffering  a  mo 
ment  to  pass  in  surprise ;  "  but  what  can  I  do  ?  what  can 
my  father  do  ?  Should  we  offer  the  old  man  a  home  and  a 
maintenance,  his  habits  would  compel  him  to  refuse  us. 
Neither,  were  we  so  silly  as  to  wish  such  a  thing,  could  we 
convert  these  clearings  and  farms  again  into  hunting 
grounds,  as  the  Leather-Stocking  would  wish  to  see  them." 

"  You  speak  the  truth,  Miss  Temple,"  said  Edwards. 
**  What  can  you  do,  indeed  ?  But  there  is  one  thing  that  1 
am  certain  you  can  and  will  do,  when  you  become  the  mis 
tress  of  these  beautiful  valleys  —  use  your  wealth  with  in 
dulgence  to  the  poor  and  charity  to  the  needy ;  indeed, 
you  can  do  no  more." 

"  And  that  will  be  doing  a  good  deal,"  said  Louisa,  smil 
ing  in  her  turn.  "  But  there  will,  doubtless,  be  one  to  take 
the  direction  of  such  things  from  her  hands." 

"  I  am  not  about  to  disclaim  matrimony,  like  a  silly  girl, 
who  dreams  of  nothing  else  from  morning  till  night ;  but  I 
am  a  nun  here,  without  the  vow  of  celibacy.  Where  shall 
I  find  a  husband  in  these  forests  ?  " 

"  There  is  none,  Miss  Temple,"  said  Edwards,  quickly  j 
"  there  is  none  who  has  a  right  to  aspire  to  you,  and  I  know 
that  you  will  wait  to  be  sought  by  your  equal ;  or  die  as 
you  live,  loved,  respected,  and  admired  by  all  who  know 
you." 

The  young  man  seemed  to  think  that  he  had  said  all 
that  was  required  by  gallantry,  for  he  arose,  and  taking  his 
hat,  hurried  from  the  apartment.  Perhaps  Louisa  thought 
that  he  had  said  more  than  was  necessary,  for  she  sighed, 
with  an  aspiration  so  low  that  it  was  scarcely  audible  to 
herself,  and  bent  her  head  over  her  work  again.  And  it  is 
possible  that  Miss  Temple  wished  to  hear  more,  for  her 
eyes  continued  fixed  for  a  minute  on  the  door  though  which 
the  young  man  had  passed,  then  glanced  quickly  towards 
her  companion,  when  the  long  silence  that  succeeded,  mani 
fested  how  much  zest  may  be  given  to  the  conversation  of 
two  maidens  under  eighteen,  by  the  presence  of  a  youth  of 
three-and-twenty. 

The  first   person    encountered  by  Mr.  Edwards,  as    he 

19 


290  THE  PIONEERS. 

rather  rushed  than  walked  from  the  house,  was  the  little 
square-built  lawyer,  with  a  large  bundle  of  papers  under 
his  arm,  a  pair  of  green  spectacles  on  his  nose,  with  glasses 
at  the  sides,  as  if  to  multiply  his  power  of  detecting  frauds, 
bj  additional  organs  of  vision. 

Mr.  Van  dcr  School  was  a  well  educated  man,  but  of 
Blow  comprehension,  who  had  imbibed  a  wariness  in  his 
speeches  and  actions,  from  having  suffered  by  his  collisions 
with  his  more  mercurial  and  apt  brethren  who  had  laid  the 
foundations  of  their  practice  in  the  eastern  courts,  and  who 
had  sucked  in  shrewdness  ^rith  their  mother's  milk.  The 
caution  of  this  gentleman  was  exhibited  in  his  actions,  by 
the  utmost  method  and  punctuality,  tinctured  with  a  good 
deal  of  timidity ;  and  in  his  speeches,  by  a  parenthetical 
style,  that  frequently  left  to  his  auditors  a  long  search  after 
his  meaning. 

"A  good  morning  to  you,  Mr.  Van  der  School,"  said 
Edwards ;  "  it  seems  to  be  a  busy  day  with  us  at  the  Man 
sion-house." 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Edwards  (if  that  is  your  name  (for, 
being  a  stranger,  we  have  no  other  evidence  of  the  fact  than 
your  own  testimony),  as  I  understand  you  have  given  it  to 
Judge  Temple),  good  morning,  sir.  It  is,  apparently,  a 
busy  day  (but  a  man  of  your  discretion  need  not  be  told 
(having,  doubtless,  discovered  it  of  your  own  accord),  that 
appearances  are  often  deceitful)  up  at  the  Mansion-house." 

"  Have  you  papers  of  consequence  that  will  require  copy- 
jig  ?  can  I  be  of  assistance  in  any  way  ?  " 

"  There  are  papers  (as  doubtless  you  see  (for  your  eyes 
are  young)  by  the  outsides)  that  require  copying." 

"Well,  then,  I  will  accompany  you  to  your  office,  and 
receive  such  as  are  most  needed,  and  by  night  I  shall  have 
them  done,  if  there  be  much  haste." 

"  I  shall  be  always  glad  to  see  you,  sir,  at  my  office  (as 
n  duty  bound  (not  that  it  is  obligatory  to  receive  any  man 
within  your  dwelling  (unless  so  inclined),  which  is  a  castle), 
according  to  the  forms  of  politeness),  or  at  any  other  place 
out  the  papers  are  most  strictly  confidential  (and  as  such, 
cannot  be  read  by  any  one),  unless  so  directed  (by  Judge 


THE  PIONEERS.  291 

Temple's  solemn  injunctions),  and  are  invisible  to  all  eyes ; 
excepting  those  whose  duties  (I  mean  assumed  duties)  re 
quire  it  of  them." 

"  "Well,  sir,  as  I  perceive  that  I  can  be  of  no  service,  I 
wish  you  another  good  morning ;  but  beg  you  will  remem 
ber  that  I  am  quite  idle  just  now,  and  I  wish  you  would 
intimate  as  much  to  Judge  Temple,  and  make  him  a  tendei 
of  my  services  in  any  part  of  the  world,  unless  —  unless  — 
it  be  far  from  Templeton." 

"  I  will  make  the  communication,  sir,  in  your  name  (with 
your  own  qualifications),  as  your  agent.  Good  morning, 
sir.  But  stay  proceedings,  Mr.  Edwards  (so  called),  for  a 
moment.  Do  you  wish  me  to  state  the  offer  of  travelling 
as  a  final  contract  (for  which  consideration  has  been  re 
ceived  at  former  dates  (by  sums  advanced),  which  would  be 
binding),  or  as  a  tender  of  services  for  which  compensation 
is  to  be  paid  (according  to  future  agreement  between  the 
parties),  on  performance  of  the  conditions?" 

"  Any  way,  any  way,"  said  Edwards  :  "  he  seems  in  dis 
tress,  and  I  would  assist  him." 

"  The  motive  is  good,  sir  (according  to  appearances 
(which  are  often  deceitful)  on  first  impressions),  and  does 
you  honor.  I  will  mention  your  wish,  young  gentleman 
(as  you  now  seem),  and  will  not  fail  to  communicate  the 
answer  by  five  o'clock  p.  M.  of  this  present  day  (God  will 
ing),  if  you  give  me  an  opportunity  so  to  do." 

The  ambiguous  nature  of  the  situation  and  character  of 
Mr.  Edwards  had  rendered  him  an  object  of  peculiar  sus 
picion  to  the  lawyer,  and  the  youth  was  consequently  too 
much  accustomed  to  similar  equivocal  and  guarded  speeches 
to  feel  any  unusual  disgust  at  the  present  dialogue.  He 
saw  at  once  that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  practitioner  to 
conceal  the  nature  of  his  business,  even  from  the  private 
secretary  of  Judge  Temple ;  and  he  knew  too  well  the 
difficulty  of  comprehending  the  meaning  of  Mr.  Van  der 
School,  when  the  gentleman  most  wished  to  be  luminous 
in  his  discourse,  not  to  abandon  all  thoughts  of  a  discovery, 
when  he  perceived  that  the  attorney  was  endeavoring  tc 
avoid  anything  like  an  approach  to  a  cross-examination 


292  THE  PIONEERS. 

They  parted  at  the  gate,  the  lawyer  walking,  with  an  im 
portant  and  hurried  air,  towards  his  office,  keeping  his  right 
hand  firmly  clenched  on  the  bundle  of  papers. 

It  must  have  been  obvious  to  all  our  readers,  that  the 
youth  entertained  an  unusual  and  deeply  seated  prejudice 
against  the  character  of  the  Judge  ;  but,  owing  to  some 
counteracting  cause,  his  sensations  were  now  those  of  power' 
fill  interest  in  the  state  of  his  patron's  present  feelings,  ana 
iu  the  cause  of  his  secret  uneasiness. 

He  remained  gazing  after  the  lawyer,  until  the  door 
closed  on  both  the  bearer  and  the  mysterious  packet,  when 
he  returned  slowly  to  the  dwelling,  and  endeavored  to  for 
get  his  curiosity  in  the  usual  avocations  of  his  office. 

When  the  Judge  made  his  reappearance  in  the  circles  of 
his  family,  his  cheerfulness  was  tempered  by  a  shade  of 
melancholy  that  lingered  for  many  days  around  his  manly 
brow ;  but  the  magical  progression  of  the  season  aroused 
him  from  his  temporary  apathy,  and  his  smiles  returned 
with  the  summer. 

The  heats  of  the  days,  and  the  frequent  occurrence  of 
balmy  showers,  had  completed,  in  an  incredibly  short  period, 
the  growth  of  plants,  which  the  lingering  spring  had  so  long 
retarded  in  the  germ  ;  and  the  \voods  presented  every  shade 
of  green  that  the  American  forests  know.  The  stumps  in 
the  cleared  fields  were  already  hidden  beneath  the  wheat 
that  was  waving  with  every  breath  of  the  summer  air,  shin 
ing,  and  changing  its  hues  like  velvet. 

During  the  continuance  of  his  cousin's  dejection,  Mr. 
Jones  forbore,  with  much  consideration,  to  press  on  his 
attention  a  business  that  each  hour  was  drawing  nearer  to 
the  heart  of  the  Sheriff,  and  which,  if  any  opinion  could  be 
formed  by  his  frequent  private  conferences  with  the  man 
who  was  introduced  in  these  pages  by  the  name  of  Jotliam, 
at  the  bar-room  of  the  "  Bold  Dragoon,"  was  becoming  also 
of  great  importance. 

At  length  the  Sheriff  ventured  to  allude  again  to  the  sub 
ject  ;  and  one  evening,  in  the  beginning  of  July,  Marmaduke 
made  him  a  promise  of  devoting  the  following  day  to  the 
desired  excursion. 


THE  PIONEEBS.  293 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Speak  on,  my  dearest  father ! 
Thy  words  are  like  the  breezes  of  the  west. 

MlLMAJff. 

IT  was  a  mild  and  soft  morning,  when  Marmaduke  and 
Richard  mounted  their  horses  to  proceed  on  the  expedition 
that  had  so  long  been  uppermost  in  the  thoughts  of  the 
latter :  and  Elizabeth  and  Louisa  appeared  at  the  same 
instant  in  the  hall,  attired  for  an  excursion  on  foot. 

The  head  of  Miss  Grant  was  covered  by  a  neat  little  hat 
of  green  silk,  and  her  modest  eyes  peered  from  under  its 
shade,  with  the  soft  languor  that  characterized  her  whole 
appearance ;  but  Miss  Temple  trod  her  father's  wide  apart 
ments  with  the  step  of  their  mistress,  holding  in  her  hand, 
dangling  by  one  of  its  ribbons,  the  gipsy  that  was  to  conceal 
the  glossy  locks  that  curled  around  her  polished  forehead  in 
rich  profusion. 

"  What !  are  you  for  a  walk,  Bess  ?  "  cried  the  Judge, 
suspending  his  movements  for  a  moment,  to  smile,  with  a 
father's  fondness,  at  the  display  of  womanly  grace  and 
beauty  that  his  child  presented.  "  Remember  the  heats  of 
July,  my  daughter ;  nor  venture  further  than  thou  canst 
retrace  before  the  meridian.  Where  is  thy  parasol,  girl  ? 
thou  wilt  lose  the  polish  of  that  brow,  under  this  sun  and 
southern  breeze,  unless  thou  guard  it  with  unusual  care." 

"  I  shall  then  do  more  honor  to  my  connections,"  returned 
the  smiling  daughter.  "  Cousin  Richard  has  a  bloom  that 
any  lady  might  envy.  At  present  the  resemblance  between 
us  is  so  trifling,  that  no  stranger  would  know  us  to  be 
f  sisters'  children.' " 

"  Grandchildren,  you  mean,  cousin  Bess/'  said  the  Sheriff 
<  But  on,  Judge  Temple ;  time  and  tide  wait  for  no  mim 


294  THE  PIONEERS. 

and  if  you  take  my  counsel,  sir,  in  twelve  months  from  tint 
day  you  may  make  an  umbrella  for  your  daughter  of  her 
camel's-hair  shawl,  and  have  its  frame  of  solid  silver.  I  ask 
nothing  for  myself,  'Duke  ;  you  have  been  a  good  friend  to 
me  already ;  besides,  all  that  I  have  will  go  to  Bess  there, 
one  of  these  melancholy  days,  so  it's  as  long  as  it's  short, 
whether  I  or  you  leave  it.  But  we  have  a  day's  ride  before 
us,  sir ;  so  move  forward,  or  dismount,  and  say  you  won't 
go  at  once." 

"  Patience,  patience^  Dickon,"  returned  the  Judge,  check 
ing  his  horse,  and  turning  again  to  his  daughter.  "  If  thou 
art  for  the  mountains,  love,  stray  not  too  deep  into  the 
forest,  I  entreat  thee ;  for,  though  it  is  done  often  with 
impunity,  there  is  sometimes  danger." 

"  Not  at  this  season,  I  believe,  sir,"  said  Elizabeth  ;  "  for, 
I  will  confess,  it  is  the  intention  of  Louisa  and  myself  to 
stroll  among  the  hills." 

"  Less  at  this  season  than  in  the  winter,  dear  ;  but  still 
there  may  be  danger  in  venturing  too  far.  But  though  thou 
art  resolute,  Elizabeth,  thou  art  too  much  like  thy  mother 
not  to  be  prudent." 

The  eyes  of  the  parent  turned  reluctantly  from  his  child, 
and  the  Judge  and  Sheriff  rode  slowly  through  the  gateway, 
and  disappeared  among  the  buildings  of  the  village. 

During  this  short  dialogue,  young  Edwards  stood,  an 
attentive  listener,  holding  in  his  hand  a  fishing-rod,  the  day 
and  the  season  having  tempted  him  also  to  desert  the  house, 
for  the  pleasure  of  exercise  in  the  air.  As  the  equestrians 
turned  through  the  gate,  he  approached  the  young  females, 
who  were  already  moving  towards  the  street,  and  was  about 
to  address  them,  as  Louisa  paused,  and  said  quickly,  — 

"Mr.  Edwards  would  speak  to  us,  Elizabeth." 

The  other  stopped  also,  and  turned  to  the  youth,  politely, 
but  with  a  slight  coldness  in  her  air,  that  sensibly  checked 
the  freedom  with  which  he  had  approached  them. 

"  Your  father  is  not  pleased  that  you  should  walk  unat 
tended  in  the  hills,  Miss  Temple.  If  I  might  offer  myself 
as  a  protector  "  — 

"  Does  my  father  select  Mr.  Oliver  Edwards  as  the  orgai 
of  his  displeasure  ?  "  interrupted  the  lady. 


THE  PIONEERS.  296 

"  Good  Heaven !  you  misunderstood  my  meaning :  1 
should  have  said  uneasy,  for  not  pleased.  I  am  his  servant, 
madam,  and  in  consequence  yours.  I  repeat  that,  with  your 
consent,  I  will  change  my  rod  for  a  fowling-piece,  and  keep 
nigh  you  on  the  mountain." 

"  I  thank  you,  Mr.  Edwards ;  but  where  there  is  no 
danger,  no  protection  is  required.  We  are  not  yet  reduced 
to  wandering  among  these  free  hills  accompanied  by  a  body 
guard.  If  such  a  one  is  necessary,  there  he  is,  however. 
Here,  Brave,  —  Brave,  —  my  noble  Brave ! " 

The  huge  mastiff,  that  has  been  already  mentioned, 
appeared  from  his  kennel,  gaping  and  stretching  himself, 
with  pampered  laziness  ;  but  as  his  mistress  again  called, 
"  Come,  dear  Brave ;  once  haVe  you  served  your  master 
well ;  let  us  see  how  you  can  do  your  duty  by  his  daugh 
ter  ! "  the  dog  wagged  his  tail,  as  if  he  understood  her 
language,  walked  with  a  stately  gait  to  her  side,  where  he 
seated  himself,  and  looked  up  at  her  face,  with  an  intelli 
gence  but  little  inferior  to  that  which  beamed  in  her  own 
lovely  countenance. 

She  resumed  her  walk,  but  again  paused,  after  a  few 
steps,  and  added,  in  tones  of  conciliation,  — 

"  You  can  be  serving  us  equally,  and,  I  presume,  more 
agreeably  to  yourself,  Mr.  Edwards,  by  bringing  us  a  string 
of  your  favorite  perch,  for  the  dinner-table." 

When  they  again  began  to  walk,  Miss  Temple  did  not 
look  back  to  see  how  the  youth  bore  this  repulse ;  but  the 
head  of  Lousia  was  turned  several  times  before  they  reached 
the  gate,  on  that  considerate  errand. 

"  I  am  afraid,  Elizabeth,"  she  said,  "  that  we  have  morti 
fied  Oliver.  He  is  still  standing  where  we  left  him,  leaning 
on  his  rod.  Perhaps  he  thinks  us  proud." 

'*  He  thinks  justly,"  exclaimed  Miss  Temple,  as  if  awak 
ing  from  a  deep  musing ;  "  he  thinks  justly,  then.     We  are 
too  proud   to  admit   of  such  particular  attentions  from  a  , 
ycung  man   in  an  equivocal  situation.     What  !  make  him 
the    companion   of  our  most  private  walks !     It  is    pride^ 
Louisa,  but  it  is  the  pride  of  a  woman." 

It  was  several  minutes   before  Oliver   aroused  himself 


296  THE   PIONEERS. 

from  the  abstracted  position  in  which  he  was  standing  whcj 
Louisa  last  saw  him ;  but  when  he  did,  he  muttered  some 
thing  rapidly  and  incoherently,  and  throwing  his  rod  over 
his  shoulder,  he  strode  down  the  walk,  through  the  gate, 
and  along  one  of  the  streets  of  the  village,  until  he  reached 
the  lake-shore,  with  the  air  of  an  emperor.  At  this  spot 
boats  were  kept  for  the  use  of  Judge  Temple  and  his  family. 
The  young  man  threw  himself  into  a  light  skiff,  and  seizing 
the  oars,  he  sent  it  across  the  lake  towards  the  hut  of 
Leather-Stocking,  with  a  pair  of  vigorous  arms.  By  the 
time  he  had  rowed  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  his  reflections  were 
less  bitter:  and  when  he  saw  the  bushes  that  lined  the 
shore  in  front  of  Natty's  habitation  gliding  by  him,  as  if 
they  possessed  the  motion  which  proceeded  from  his  own 
efforts,  he  was  quite  cooled  in  mind,  though  somewhat  heated 
in  body.  It  is  quite  possible,  that  the  very  same  reason 
which  guided  the  conduct  of  Miss  Temple,  suggested  itself 
to  a  man  of  the  breeding  and  education  of  the  youth  ;  and 
it  is  very  certain,  that  if  such  were  the  case,  Elizabeth  roso 
instead  of  falling  in  the  estimation  of  Mr.  Edwards. 

The  oars  were  now  raised  from  the  water,  and  the  boat 
shot  close  in  to  the  land,  where  it  lay  gently  agitated  by 
waves  of  its  own  creating,  while  the  young  man,  first  casting 
a  cautious  and  searching  glance  around  him  in  every  direc 
tion,  put  a  small  whistle  to  his  mouth,  and  blew  a  long, 
shrill  note,  that  rang  among  the  echoing  rocks  behind  the 
hut.  At  this  alarm,  the  hounds  of  Natty  rushed  out  of  their 
bark  kennel,  and  commenced  their  long  piterw*  howls,  leap 
ing  about  as  if  half  frantic,  though  restrained  by  the  leashes 
of  buckskin  by  which  they  were  fastened. 

"  Quiet,  Hector,  quiet,"  said  Oliver,  again  applying  hia 
whistle  to  his  mouth,  and  drawing  out  notes  still  more  shrill 
than  before.  No  reply  was  made,  the  dogs  having  returned 
to  their  kennel  at  the  sounds  of  his  voice. 

Edwards  pulled  the  bows  of  the  boat  on  the  shore,  and 
landing,  ascended  the  beach  and  approached  the  door  of 
the  cabin.  The  fastenings  were  soon  undone,  and  he  en- 
tered,  closing  the  door  after  him,  when  all  was  as  silent,  IE 
that  retired  spot,  as  if  the  foot  of  man  had  never  trod  (he 


THE  PIONEERS.  297 

wilderness.  The  sounds  of  the  hammers,  that  were  in  in 
cessant  motion  in  the  village,  were  faintly  heard  across  the 
water ;  but  the  dogs  had  crouched  into  their  lairs,  satisfied 
that  none  but  the  privileged  had  approached  the  forbidden 
ground. 

A  quarter  of  a  hour  elapsed  before  the  youth  reap 
peared,  when  he  fastened  the  door  again,  and  spoke  kindly 
to  the  hounds.  The  dogs  came  out  at  the  well  known  tones, 
and  the  slut  jumped  upon  his  person,  whining  and  barking, 
as  if  entreating  Oliver  to  release  her  from  prison.  But  old 
Hector  raised  his  nose  to  the  light  current  of  air,  and 
opened  a  long  howl,  that  might  have  been  heard  for  a 
mile. 

"  Ha !  what  do  you  scent,  old  veteran  of  the  woods  ? " 
cried  Edwards.  "  If  a  beast,  it  is  a  bold  one  ;  and  if  a  man, 
an  impudent." 

He  sprang  through  the  top  of  a  pine  that  had  fallen  near 
the  side  of  the  hut,  and  ascended  a  small  hillock  that  shel 
tered  the  cabin  to  the  south,  where  he  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  formal  figure  of  Hiram  Doolittle,  as  it  vanished,  with 
unusual  rapidity  for  the  architect,  amid  the  bushes. 

"  What  can  that  fellow  be  wanting  here  ? "  muttered 
Oliver.  "  He  has  no  business  in  this  quarter,  unless  it  be 
curiosity,  which  is  an  endemic  in  these  woods.  But  against 
that  I  will  effectually  guard,  though  the  dogs  should  take 
a  liking  to  his  ugly  visage,  and  let  him  pass."  The  youth 
returned  to  the  door,  while  giving  vent  to  this  soliloquy, 
and  completed  the  fastenings,  by  placing  a  small  chain 
through  a  staple,  and  securing  it  there  by  a  padlock.  "  He 
is  a  pettifogger,  and  surely  must  know  that  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  feloniously  breaking  into  a  man's  house." 

Apparently  well  satisfied  with  this  arrangement,  the 
youth  again  spoke  to  the  hounds  ;  and,  descending  to  the 
ghore,  he  launched  his  boat,  and  taking  up  his  oars,  pulled 
olf  into  the  lake. 

There  were  several  places  in  the,  Otsego  that  were  cel 
ebrated  fishing-ground  for  perch.  One  was  nearly  opposite 
to  the  cabin,  and  another,  still  more  famous,  was  near  a 
point  ai  the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  above  it,  under 


298  THE  PIONEERS. 

the  brow  of  the  mountain,  and  on  the  same  side  of  the  lake 
with  the  hut.  Oliver  Edwards  pulled  his  little  skiff  to  the 
first,  and  sat,  for  a  minute,  undecided  whether  to  continue 
there,  with  his  eyes  on  the  door  of  the  cabin,  or  to  change 
his  ground,  with  a  view  to  get  superior  game.  While  gaz 
ing  about  him,  he  saw  the  light-colored  bark  canoe  of  his 
old  companions,  riding  on  the  water,  at  the  point  we  have 
mentioned,  and  containing  two  figures,  that  he  at  once 
knew  to  be  Mohegan  and  the  Leather-Stocking.  This  de 
cided  the  matter,  and  the  youth  pulled,  in  a  very  few  min 
utes,  to  the  place  where  his  friends  were  fishing,  and  fastened 
his  boat  to  the  light  vessel  of  the  Indian. 

The  old  men  received  Oliver  with  welcoming  nods,  but 
neither  drew  his  line  from  the  water,  nor  in  the  least  varied 
his  occupation.  When  Edwards  had  secured  his  own  boat, 
he  baited  his  hook  and  threw  it  into  the  lake  without  speak 
ing. 

"  Did  you  stop  at  the  wigwam,  lad,  as  you  rowed  past?" 
asked  Natty. 

"  Yes,  and  I  found  all  safe  ;  but  that  carpenter  and  jus 
tice  of  the  peace,  Mr.,  or  as  they  call  him  Squire,  Doolittle, 
was  prowling  through  the  woods.  I  made  sure  of  the  door 
before  I  left  the  hut,  and  I  think  he  is  too  great  a  coward 
to  approach  the  hounds." 

"  There's  little  to  be  said  in  favor  of  that  man,"  said 
Natty,  while  he  drew  in  a  perch  and  baited  his  hook.  "  He 
craves  dreadfully  to  come  into  the  cabin,  and  has  as  good 
as  asked  me  as  much  to  my  face  ;  but  I  put  him  off  with 
unsartain  answers,  so  that  he  is  no  wiser  than  Solomon. 
This  comes  of  having  so  many  laws  that  such  a  man  may 
be  called  on  to  intarpret  them." 

"  I  fear  he  is  more  knave  than  fool,"  cried  Edwards  ; 
"  he  makes  a  tool  of  that  simple  man,  the  Sheriff;  and  I 
dread  that  his  impertinent  curiosity  may  yet  give  us  much 
trouble." 

"  If  he  harbors  too  much  about  the  cabin,  lad,  I'll  shoot 
the  creatur',"  said  the  Leather-Stocking,  quite  simply. 

"  No,  no,  Natty,  you  must  remember  the  law,"  said  Ed 
wards,  "  or  we  shall  have  you  in  trouble  ;  and  that,  old 


111  *1      1  1  '1* 


THE   PIONEERS.  299 

*  Would  it,  boy  !  "  exclaimed  the  hunter,  raising  his  eyes 
with  a  look  of  friendly  interest,  towards  the  youth.  "  You 
have  the  true  blood  in  your  veins,  Mr.  Oliver  ;  and  I'll 
support  it  to  the  face  of  Judge  Temple,  or  in  any  court  in 
the  country.  How  is  it,  John  ?  Do  I  speak  the  true  word  ? 
Is  the  lad  staunch,  and  of  the  right  blood?" 

"  He  is  a  Delaware,"  said  Mohegan,  "  and  my  brother. 
The  Young  Eagle  is  brave,  and  he  will  be  a  chief.  No 
harm  can  come." 

"  Well,  well,"  cried  the  youth,  impatiently,  "  say  no 
more  about  it,  my  good  friends ;  if  I  am  not  all  that  your 
partiality  would  make  me,  I  am  yours  through  life,  in 
prosperity  as  in  poverty.  We  will  talk  of  other  matters." 

The  old  hunters  yielded  to  his  wish,  which  seemed  to  be 
their  Jaw.  For  a  short  time  a  profound  silence  prevailed, 
during  which  each  man  was  very  busy  with  his  hook  and 
line ;  but  Edwards,  probably  feeling  that  it  remained  with 
him  to  renew  the  discourse,  soon  observed,  with  the  air  of 
one  who  knew  not  what  he  said,  — 

"  How  beautifully  tranquil  and  glassy  the  lake  is !  Saw 
you  it  ever  more  calm  and  even  than  at  this  moment, 
Natty?" 

"  I  have  known  the  Otsego  water  for  five-and-forty 
years,"  said  Leather-Stocking ;  "  and  I  will  say  that  for  it, 
which  is,  that  a  cleaner  spring  or  better  fishing  is  not  to  be 
found  in  the  land.  Yes,  yes ;  I  had  the  place  to  myself 
once,  and  a  cheerful  time  I  had  of  it.  The  game  waa 
plenty  as  heart  could  wish  ;  and  there  was  none  to  meddle 
with  the  ground,  unless  there  might  have  been  a  hunting 
party  of  the  Delawares  crossing  the  hills,  or,  maybe,  a 
rifling  scout  of  them  thieves,  the  Iroquois.  There  was  one 
or  two  Frenchmen  that  squatted  in  the  flats,  further  west, 
and  married  squaws ;  and  some  of  the  Scotch- Irishers  froir 
the  Cherry  Valley,  would  come  on  to  the  lake,  and  borrow 
my  canoe  to  take  a  mess  of  parch,  or  drop  a  line  for  salmon- 
trout  ;  but,  in  the  main,  it  was  a  cheerful  place,  and  I  had 
but  little  to  disturb  me  in  it.  John  would  come,  and  John 
knows." 

Mohegan  turned  his  dark  face  at  this  appeal ;  and, 


800  THE  PIONEERS. 

ing  his  band  forwar-1  with  a  graceful  motion  of  assent,  he 
spoke,  using  the  Delaware  language :  — 

"  The  land  was  owned  by  my  people ;  we  gave  it  to  my 
brother,  in  council  —  to  the  Fire-eater ;  and  what  the  Del- 
awares  give  lasts  as  long  as  the  waters  run.  Hawkeye 
smoked  at  that  council,  for  we  loved  him." 

"  No,  no,  John,"  said  Natty ;  "  I  was  no  chief,  seeing 
that  I  knowed  nothing  of  scholarship,  and  had  a  white  skin. 
But  it  was  a  comfortable  hunting-ground  then,  lad,  and 
would  have  been  so  to  this  day,  but  for  the  money  of  Mar- 
inaduke  Temple,  and  the  twisty  ways  of  the  law." 

"  It  must  have  been  a  sight  of  melancholy  pleasure,  in 
deed,"  said  Edwards,  while  his  eye  roved  along  the  shores 
and  over  the  hills,  where  the  clearings,  groaning  with  the 
golden  corn,  were  cheering  the  forests  with  the  signs  of 
life,  "  to  have  roamed  over  these  mountains,  and  along  this 
sheet  of  beautiful  water,  without  a  living  soul  to  speak  to, 
or  to  thwart  your  humor." 

"  Haven't  I  said  it  was  cheerful  ?  "  said  Leather-Stock 
ing.  "  Yes,  yes ;  when  the  trees  began  to  be  covered  with 
leaves,  and  the  ice  was  out  of  the  lake,  it  was  a  second 
paradise.  I  have  travelled  the  woods  for  fifty-three  years, 
and  have  made  them  my  home  for  more  than  forty ;  and  I 
can  say  that  I  have  met  but  one  place  that  was  more  to 
my  liking ;  and  that  was  only  to  eye-sight,  and  not  for 
hunting  or  fishing." 

"  And  where  was  that  ?  "  asked  Edwards. 

"  Where !  why  up  on  the  Cattskills.  I  used  often  to  go 
up  into  the  mountains  after  wolves'  skins  and  bears  ;  once 
they  paid  me  to  get  them  a  stuffed  painter,  and  so  I  often 
went.  There's  a  place  in  them  hills  that  I  used  to  climb  to 
when  1  wanted  to  see  the  carryings  on  of  the  world,  that 
vould  well  pay  any  man  for  a  barked  shin  or  a  torn  moc 
casin.  You  know  the  Cattskills,  lad  ;  for  you  must  have 
seen  them  on  your  left,  as  you  followed  the  river  up  from 
York,  looking  as  blue  as  a  piece  of  clear  sky,  and  holding 
the  clouds  on  their  tops,  as  the  smoke  curls  over  the  head 
of  an  Indian  chief  at  the  council  fire.  Well,  there's  the 
High-peak  and  the  Round-top,  which  lay  back  like  a  father 


THE   PIONEERS.  801 

and  mother  among  their  children,  seeing  they  are  far  above 
all  the  other  hills.  But  the  place  I  mean  is  next  to  the 
river,  where  one  of  the  ridges  juts  out  a  little  from  the  rest, 
and  where  the  rocks  fall,  for  the  best  part  of  a  thousand 
feet,  so  much  up  and  down,  that  a  man  standing  on  their 
edges  is  fool  enough  to  think  he  can  jump  from  top  to  bot 
tom." 

"  What  see  you  when  you  get  there  ?  "  asked  Edwards. 

"  Creation,"  said  Natty,  dropping  the  end  of  his  rod  into 
the  water,  and  sweeping  one  hand  around  him  in  a  circle : 
"all  creation,  lad.  I  was  on  that  hill  when  Vaughan 
burned  'Sopus  in  the  last  war  ;  and  I  saw  the  vessels  come 
out  of  the  Highlands  as  plain  as  I  can  see  that  lime-scow 
rowing  into  the  Susqtiehanna,  though  one  was  twenty  times 
further  from  me  than  the  other.  The  river  was  in  sight 
for  seventy  miles,  looking  like  a  curled  shaving  under  my 
feet,  though  it  was  eight  long  miles  to  its  banks.  I  saw 
the  hills  in  the  Hampshire  grants,  the  Highlands  of  the 
river,  and  all  that  God  had  done,  or  man  could  do,  far  aa 
eyo  could  reach  —  you  know  that  the  Indians  named  me 
for  my  sight,  lad ;  and  from  the  flat  on  the  top  of  that 
mountain,  I  have  often  found  the  place  where  Albany 
stands.  And  as  for  'Sopus,  the  clay  the  royal  troops  burnt 
the  town,  the  smoke  seemed  so  nigh,  that  I  thought  I  could 
hear  the  screeches  of  the  .women." 

"  It  must  have  been  worth  the  toil  to  meet  with  such  a 
glorious  view." 

"  If  being  the  best  part  of  a  mile  in  the  air,  and  having 
men's  farms  and  housen  at  your  feet,  with  rivers  looking 
like  ribbons,  and  mountains  bigger  than  the  '  Vision/  seem 
ing  to  be  haystacks  of  green  grass  under  you,  gives  any 
satisfaction  to  a  man,  I  can  recommend  the  spot.  .When  I 
first  came  into  the  woods  to  live,  I  used  to  have  weak  spells 
when  I  felt  lonesome  ;  and  then  I  would  go  into  the  Catts- 
kills,  and  spend  a  few  days  on  that  hill  to  look  at  the  ways 
of  man ;  but  it's  now  many  a  year  since  I  felt  any  such 
longings,  and  I  am  getting  too  old  for  rugged  rocks.  But 
there's  a  place,  a  short  two  miles  back  of  that  very  hill, 
that  in  late  times  I  relished  oetter  than  the  mountain ;  for 
it  was  more  covered  with  the  trees,  and  natural." 


802  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  And  where  was  that  ?  "  inquired  Edwards,  w  ticae  curi 
osity  was  strongly  excited  by  the  simple  description  of  the 
hunter. 

"  Why,  there's  a  fall  in  the  hills  where  the  water  of  two 
little  ponds,  that  lie  near  each  other,  breaks  out  of  their 
bounds  and  runs  over  the  rocks  into  the  valley.  Tho 
stream  is,  maybe,  such  a  one  as  would  turn  a  mill,  if  so 
useless  a  thing  was  wanted  in  the  wilderness.  But  the 
hand  that  made  that  '  Leap  '  never  made  a  mill.  There 
the  water  comes  crooking  and  winding  among  the  rocks ; 
first  so  slow  that  a  trout  could  swim  in  it,  and  then  starting 
and  running  like  a  creatur'  that  wanted  to  make  a  far 
spring,  till  it  gets  to  where  the  mountain  divides,  like  the 
cleft  hoof  of  a  deer,  leaving  a  deep  hollow  for  the  brook  to 
tumble  into.  The  first  pitch  is  nigh  two  hundred  feet,  and 
the  water  looks  like  flakes  of  driven  snow  afore  it  touches 
the  bottom ;  and  there  the  stream  gathers  itself  together 
again  for  a  new  start,  and  maybe  flutters  over  fifty  feet  of 
flat  rock  before  it  falls  for  another  hundred,  when  it  jumps 
about  from  shelf  to  shelf,  first  turning  this-away  and  then 
turning  that-away,  striving  to  get  out  of  the  hollow,  till  it 
finally  comes  to  the  plain." 

"  I  have  never  heard  of  this  spot  before ;  it  is  not  men 
tioned  in  the  books." 

"  I  never  read  a  book  in  my  life,"  said  Leather-Stocking  ; 
"and  how  should  a  man  who  has  lived  in  towns  and  schools 
know  anything  about  the  wonders  of  the  woods  ?  No,  no/ 
lad ;  there  has  that  little  stream  of  water  been  playing 
among  the  hills  since  He  made  the  world,  and  not  a  dozen 
white  men  have  ever  laid  eyes  on  it.  The  rock  sweeps 
like  mason-work,  in  a  half-round,  on  both  sides  of  the  fall, 
and  shelves  over  the  bottom  for  fifty  feet ;  so  that  when 
I've  been  sitting  at  the  foot  of  the  first  pitch,  and  my 
hounds  hnve  run  into  the  caverns  behind  the  sheet  of  water, 
they've  looked  no  bigger  than  >o  many  rabbits.  To  my 
judgment,  lad,  it's  the  best  piece  of  work  that  I've  met  v/ith 
in  the  woods;  and  none  know  how  often  the  hand  of  God 
is  seen  in  the  wilderness,  but  them  that  rove  it  for  a  mau'i 
life." 


"He  looked  at  the  old  men,  Natty  sitting  with  his  hand  to  his  ear,  like  a 
trumpet,  and  Mohegan  bending  forward,  with  an  arm  raised  to  a  level  with  his 
face."  Page  303. 


THE  PIONEERS.  308 

"  What  becomes  of  the  water  ?  In  which  direction  does  ii 
run  ?  Is  it  a  tributary  of  the  Delaware  ?  " 

"  Anan  ! "  said  Natty. 

"  Does  the  water  run  into  the  De'aware  ?  " 

"  No,  no ;  it's  a  drop  for  the  old  Hudson,  and  a  merry 
time  it  lias  till  it  gets  down  off  the  mountain.  I've  sat  on 
the  shelving  rock  many  a  long  hour,  boy,  and  watched  the 
bubbles  as  they  shot  by  me,  and  thought  how  long  it  would 
be  before  that  very  water,  which  seemed  made  for  the 
wilderness,  would  be  under  the  bottom  of  a  vessel,  and 
tossing  in  the  salt  sea.  It  is  a  spot  to  make  a  man  sol 
emnize.  You  can  see  right  down  into  the  valley  that  lies 
to  the  east  of  the  High  Peak,  where,  in  the  foil  of  the  year, 
thousands  of  acres  of  woods  are  before  your  eyes,  in  the 
deep  hollow,  and  along  the  side  of  the  mountain,  painted 
like  ten  thousand  rainbows,  by  no  hand  of  man,  though 
without  the  ordering  of  God's  providence." 

u  You  are  eloquent,  Leather-Stocking,'*  exclaimed  the 
youth. 

"Anan !  "  repeated  Natty. 

"  The  recollection  of  the  sight  has  warmed  your  blooa, 
old  man.  How  many  years  is  it  since  you  saw  the  place  ?  " 

The  hunter  made  no  reply ;  but,  bending  his  ear  near 
the  water,  he  sat  holding  his  breath,  and  listening  attentively 
as  if  to  some  distant  sound.  At  length  he  raised  his  head, 
And  said,  — 

"  If  I  hadn't  fastened  the  hounds  with  my  own  hands, 
sirith  a  fresh  leash  of  green  buckskin,  I'd  take  a  Bible  oath 
that  I  heard  old  Hector  ringing  his  cry  on  the  mountain." 

"  It  is  impossible,"  said  Edwards  ;  "  it  is  not  an  hour 
since  I  saw  him  in  his  kennel." 

By  this  time  the  attention  of  Mohegan  was  attracted  to 
the  sounds  ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  youth  was  both  silent 
and  attentive,  he  could  hear  nothing  but  the  lowing  of  some 
cattle  from  the  western  hills.  He  looked  at  the  old  men, 
Natty  sitting  with  his  hand  to  his  ear,  like  a  trumpet,  and 
Mohegan  bending  forward,  with  an  arm  raised  to  a  level 
with  his  face,  holding  the  forefinger  elevated  as  a  signal  for 
attention,  and  laughed  aloud  al  what  he  deemed  to  be  their 
imaginary  sounds 


804  THE  PIONEERS. 


"  Laugh  if  you  will,  boy,"  said  Leather-Stocking ;  u  the 
liounds  be  out,  and  are  hunting  a  deer.  No  man  can  de 
ceive  me  in  such  a  matter.  I  wouldn't  have  had  the  thing 
happen  for  a  beaver's  skin.  Not  that  I  care  for  the  law ! 
but  the  venison  is  lean  now,  and  the  dumb  things  run  the 
flesh  off  their  own  bones  for  no  good.  Now  do  you  hear 
the  hounds  ?  " 

Edwards  started,  as  a  full  cry  broke  on  his  ear,  changing 
from  the  distant  sounds  that  were  caused  by  some  interven 
ing  hill,  to  confused  echoes  that  rang  among  the  rocks  that 
the  dogs  were  passing,  and  then  directly  to  a  deep  and 
hollow  baying  that  pealed  under  the  forest  on  the  lake 
shore.  These  variations  in  the  tones  of  the  hounds  passed 
with  amazing  rapidity ;  and  while  his  eyes  were  glancing 
along  the  margin  of  the  water,  a  tearing  of  the  branches 
of  the  alder  and  dog-wood  caught  his  attention,  at  a  spot 
near  them,  and  at  the  next  moment  a  noble  buck  sprang 
on  the  shore,  and  buried  himself  in  the  lake.  A  full- 
mouthed  cry  followed,  when  Hector  and  the  slut  shot 
through  the  opening  in  the  bushes,  and  darted  into  the  lake 
»J»c,  bearing  their  breasts  gallantly  against  the  water. 


THE  PIONEEBS.  806 


CHAPTER  XXVH. 

Ofl  in  the  full  descending  flood  he  tries 

To  lose  the  scent,  and  lave  his  burning  sides. 

THOMSON. 

"  I  KXOMTED  it  —  I  knowed  it ! "  cried  Natty,  when  both 
deer  and  hounds  were  in  full  view ;  "  the  buck  has  gone 
by  them  with  the  wind,  and  it  has  been  too  much  for  the 
poor  rogues  ;  but  I  must  break  them  of  these  tricks,  or 
they'll  give  me  a  deal  of  trouble.  He-ere,  he-ere  —  shore 
with  you,  rascals  —  shore  with  you  —  will  ye  ?  O  !  oif 
with  you,  old  Hector,  or  I'll  hatchel  your  hide  with  my 
ramrod  when  I  get  ye." 

The  dogs  knew  their  master's  voice,,  and  after  swimming 
in  a  circle,  as  if  reluctant  to  give  over  the  chase,  and  yet 
afraid  to  persevere,  they  finally  obeyed,  and  returned  to  the 
land,  where  they  filled  the  air  with  their  cries. 

In  the  mean  time  the  deer,  urged  by  his  fears,  had  swum 
over  half  the  distance  between  the  shore  and  the  boats,  be 
fore  his  terror  permitted  him  to  see  the  new  clanger.  Bui 
at  the  sounds  of  Natty's  voice,  he  turned  short  in  his  course, 
ind  for  a  few  moments  seemed  about  to  rush  back  again, 
and  brave  the  dogs.  His  retreat  in  this  direction  was, 
however,  effectually  cut  off,  and  turning  a  second  time,  ho 
urged  his  course  obliquely  for  the  centre  of  the  lake,  with 
an  intention  of  landing  on  the  western  shore.  As  the  buck 
swam  by  the  fishermen,  raising  his  nose  high  into  tho  air, 
curling  the  water  before  his  slim  neck  like  the  beak  cf  a 
galley,  the  Leather-Stocking  began  to  sit  very  uneasy  in 
his  canoe. 

"  'Tis  a  noble  creatur' !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  "  what  a  pair  of 
iorns !  a  man  might  hang  up  all  his  garments  on  the 
branches.  Let  me  see — July  is  the  last  month,  and  the 
90 


806  THE  PIONEERS. 

flesh  must  be  getting  good."  While  he  was  talking,  Natty 
had  instinctively  employed  himself  in  fastening  the  inner 
end  of  the  bark  rope,  that  served  him  for  a  cable,  to  a 
paddle,  and  rising  suddenly  on  his  legs,  he  cast  this  buoy 
away,  and  cried,  "Strike  out,  John!  let  her  go.  The 
creatur's  a  fool  to  tempt  a  man  in  this  way." 

Mohegan  threw  the  fastening  of  the  youth's  boat  from 
the  canoe,  and  with  one  stroke  of  his  paddle  sent  the  light 
bark  over  the  water  like  a  meteor. 

'l  Hold ! "  exclaimed  Edwards.  "  Remember  the  law 
rny  old  friends.  You  are  in  plain  sight  of  the  village,  and 
I  know  that  Judge  Temple  is  determined  to  prosecute  all 
indiscriminately,  who  kill  deer  out  of  season." 

The  remonstrance  came  too  late  :  the  canoe  was  already 
far  from  the  skiff,  and  the  two  hunters  were  too  much  en 
gaged  in  the  pursuit  to  listen  to  his  voice. 

The  buck  was  now  within  fifty  yards  of  his  pursuers, 
cutting  the  water  gallantly,  and  snorting  at  each  breath 
with  terror  and  his  exertions,  while  the  canoe  seemed  to 
dance  over  the  waves,  as  it  rose  and  fell  with  the  undula 
tions  made  by  its  own  motion.  Leather-Stocking  raised  his 
rifle  and  freshened  the  priming,  but  stood  in  suspense 
whether  to  slay  his  victim  or  not. 

"  Shall  I,  John,  or  no '  "  he  said.  "  It  seems  but  a  poor 
advantage  to  take  of  the  dumb  thing,  too.  I  won't ;  it  has 
taken  to  the  water  on  its  own  natur',  which  is  the  reason 
that  God  has  given  to  a  deer,  and  I'll  give  it  the  lake  play ; 
so,  John,  lay  out  your  arm,  and  mind  the  turn  of  the  buck 
it's  easy  to  catch  them,  but  they'll  turn  like  a  snake." 

The  Indian  laughed  at  the  conceit  of  his  friend,  but  con 
linued  to  send  the  canoe  forward  with  a  velocity  that  pro 
ceeded  much  more  from  his  skill  than  his  strength.  Both 
of  the  old  men  now  used  the  language  of  the  Delawares 
when  they  spoke. 

"  Hugh  ! "  exclaimed  Mohegan  ;  "  the  deer  turns  his 
head.  Ilawkeye,  lift  your  spear." 

Natty  never  moved  abroad  without  taking  with  him 
every  implement  that  might,  by  possibility,  be  of  service  in 
his  pursuits.  From  his  rifle  he  never  parted  ;  and  although. 


THE  riONEERS.  807 

Intending  to  fish  with  the  line,  the  canoe  was  invariably 
furnished  with  all  of  its  utensils,  even  to  its  grate.  This 
precaution  grew  out  of  the  habits  of  the  hunter,  who  was 
often  led,  by  his  necessities  or  his  sports,  far  beyond  the 
limits  of  his  original  destination.  A  few  years  earlier  than 
tho  date  of  our  tale,  the  Leather-Stocking  had  left  his  hut 
on  the  shores  of  the  Otsego,  with  his  rifle  and  his  hounds, 
for  a  few  days'  hunting  in  the  hills  ;  but  before  he  returned 
he  had  seen  the  waters  of  Ontario.  One,  two,  or  even 
three  hundred  miles  had  once  boen  nothing  to  his  sinews, 
which  were  now  a  little  stiffened  Ly  age.  The  hunter  did 
as  Mohegan  advised,  and  prepared  to  strike  a  blow,  with 
the  barbed  weapon,  into  the  neck  of  the  buck. 

"  Lay  her  more  to  the  left,  John,"  he  cried,  "  lay  her  moro 
to  the  left ;  another  stroke  of  the  paddle,  and  I  have  him." 

While  speaking,  he  raised  the  spear,  and  darted  it  from 
him  like  an  arrow.  At  that  instant  the  buck  turned,  the 
long  pole  glanced  by  him,  the  iron  striking  against  his  horn, 
and  buried  itself,  harmlessly,  in  the  lake. 

"  Back  water,"  cried  Natty,  as  the  canoe  glided  over  the 
place  where  the  spear  had  fallen ;  "  hold  water,  John." 

The  pole  soon  reappeared,  shooting  upwards  from  the 
lake,  and  as  the  hunter  seized  it  in  his  hand,  the  Indian 
whirled  the  light  canoe  round,  and  renewed  the  chase.  But 
this  evolution  gave  the  buck  a  great  advantage ;  and  it  also 
allowed  time  for  Edwards  to  approach  the  scene  of  action. 

"  Hold  your  hand,  Natty ! "  cried  the  youth,  "  hold  your 
hand !  remember  it  is  out  of  season." 

This  remonstrance  was  made  as  the  batteau  arrived  close 
to  the  place  where  the  deer  was  struggling  with  the  water, 
his  back  now  rising  to  the  surface,  now  sinking  beneath  it, 
fts  the  waves  curled  from  his  neck,  the  animal  still  sustaining 
itself  nobly  against  the  odds. 

"  Hurrah  !  "  shouted  Edwards,  inflamed  beyond  prudence 
,it  the  sight ;  "  mind  him  as  he  doubles  —  mind  him  as  In 
doubles ;  sheer  more  to  the  right,  Mohegan,  more  to  the 
right,  and  I'll  have  him  by  the  horns ;  I'll  throw  the  rope 
over  his  antlers." 

The  dark  eye  of  the  old  warrior  was  dancing  in  his  head 


808  THE  PIONEERS. 

with  a  wild  animation,  and  the  sluggish  repose  in  which  Lii 
aged  frame  had  been  resting  in  the  canoe  was  now  changed 
to  all  the  rapid  inflections  of  practiced  agility.  The  canoe 
whirled  with  each  cunning  evolution  of  the  chase,  like  a 
bubble  floating  in  a  whirlpool ;  and  when  the  direction  of 
the  pursuit  admitted  of  a  straight  course,  the  little  bark 
skimmed  the  lake  with  a  velocity  that  urged  the  deer  to 
seek  its  safety  in  some  new  turn. 

It  was  the  frequency  of  these  circuitous  movements,  that, 
by  confining  the  action  to  so  small  a  compass,  enabled  the 
youth  to  keep  near  his  companions.  More  than  twenty  times 
both  the  pursued  and  the  pursuers  glided  by  him,  just  without 
the  reach  of  his  oars,  until  he  thought  the  best  way  to  view  the 
sport  was  to  remain  stationary,  and,  by  watching  a  favorable 
opportunity,  assist  as  much  as  he  could,  in  taking  the  victim. 

He  was  not  required  to  wait  long,  for  no  sooner  had  he 
adopted  this  resolution,  and  risen  in  the  boat,  than  he  saw 
tli3  deer  coming  bravely  towards  him,  with  an  apparent 
intention  of  pushing  for  a  point  of  land  at  some  distance 
from  the  hounds,  who  were  still  barking  and  howling  on  the 
shore.  Edwards  caught  the  painter  of  his  skiff,  and,  making 
a  noose,  cast  it  from  him  with  all  his  force,  and  luckily  suc 
ceeded  in  drawing  its  knot  close  around  one  of  the  antlers 
of  the  buck. 

For  one  instant,  the  skiff  was  drawn  through  the  water, 
but  in  the  next,  the  canoe  glided  before  it,  and  Natty,  bend 
ing  low,  passed  his  knife  across  the  throat  of  the  animal, 
whose  blood  followed  the  wound,  dyeing  the  waters.  The 
short  time  that  was  passed  in  the  last  struggles  of  the  animal 
was  spent  by  the  hunters  in  bringing  their  boats  together, 
and  securing  them  in  that  position,  when  Leather-Stocking 
drew  the  deer  from  the  water,  and  laid  its  lifeless  form  in 
the  bottom  of  the  canoe.  He  placed  his  hands  on  the  ribs, 
and  on  different  parts  of  the  body  of  his  prize,  and  then, 
raising  his  head,  he  laughed  in  his  peculiar  manner. 

"  So  much  for  Marmaduke  Temple's  law ! "  he  said 
*  This  warms  a  body's  blood,  old  John ;  I  haven't  killed  a 
buck  in  the  lake  afore  this,  sin*  many  a  year.  I  call  that 
good  venison,  lad ;  and  I  know  them  that  will  relish  the 
creator'"  steaks,  for  all  the  betterments  iu  ibo  land." 


THE  PIONEERS.  809 

The  Indian  had  long  been  drooping  with  his  years,  and 
perhaps  under  the  calamities  of  his  race,  but  this  invigor 
ating  and  exciting  sport  caused  a  gleam  of  sunshine  to  cross 
bis  swarthy  face  that  had  long  been  absent  from  his  features. 
Ii  was  evident  the  old  man  enjoyed  the  chase  more  as  a 
memorial  of  his  youthful  sports  and  deeds,  than  with  any 
expectation  of  profiting  by  the  success.  He  felt  the  deer, 
however,  lightly,  his  hand  already  trembling  with  the  re 
action  of  his  unusual  exertions,  and  smiled  with  a  nod  of 
approbation,  as  he  said,  in  the  emphatic  and  sententious 
manner  of  his  people,  — 

«  Good ! " 

"  I  am  afraid,  Natty,"  said  Edwards,  when  the  heat  of 
the  moment  had  passed,  and  his  blood  began  to  cool,  "  that 
we  have  all  been  equally  transgressors  of  the  law.  But 
keep  your  own  counsel,  and  there  are  none  here  to  betraj 
us.  Yet,  how  came  those  dogs  at  large?  I  left  them 
securely  fastened,  I  know,  for  I  felt  the  thongs,  and  ex 
amined  the  knots,  when  I  was  at  the  hut." 

"  It  has  been  too  much  for  the  poor  things,"  said  Natty, 
"  to  have  such  a  buck  take  the  wind  of  them.  See,  lad, 
the  pieces  of  the  buckskin  are  hanging  from  their  necks  yet. 
Let  us  paddle  up,  John,  and  I  will  call  them  in,  and  look  a 
little  into  the  matter." 

When  the  old  hunter  landed,  and  examined  the  thongs 
that  were  yet  fast  to  the  hounds,  his  countenance  sensibly 
changed,  and  he  shook  his  head  doubtingly. 

"  Here  has  been  a  knife  at  work,"  he  said :  "  this  skin 
was  never  torn,  nor  is  this  the  mark  of  a  hound's  tooth. 
No,  no ;  Hector  is  not  in  fault,  as  I  feared." 

"  Has  the  leather  been  cut  ?  "  cried  Edwards. 

"  No,  no  —  I  didn't  say  it  had  been  cut,  lad  ;  but  thiH  is 
a  mark  that  was  never  made  by  a  jump  or  a  bite." 

"  Could  that  rascally  carpenter  have  dared  !  " 

"Aye!  he  durst  to  do  anything  when  there  is  no  danger," 
said  Natty :  "  he  is  a  curious  body,  and  loves  to  be  helping 
other  people  on  with  their  consarns.  But  he  had  best  not 
'jarbor  so  much  near  the  wigwam  ! " 

In  the  mean  time,  Mohegan  had  been  examining,  with  an 


810  THE   PIONEERS. 

Indian's  sagacity,  the  place  where  the  leather  thong  had 
been  separated.  After  scrutinizing  it  closely,  he  said,  in 
Delaware,  — 

"  It  was  cut  with  a  knife  —  a  sharp  blade  and  a  long 
kandle ;  the  man  was  afraid  of  the  dogs." 

"  How  is  this,  Mohegan  ?  "  exclaimed  Edwards  :  "  you 
saw  it  not !  how  can  you  know  these  facts  ?  " 

"  Listen,  son,"  said  the  warrior.  "  The  knife  was  sharp, 
for  the  cut  is  smooth ;  the  handle  was  long,  for  a  man's  arm 
would  not  reach  from  this  gash  to  the  cut  that  did  not  go 
through  the  skin  :  he  was  a  coward,  or  he  would  have  cut 
the  thongs  around  the  necks  of  the  hounds." 

1  On  my  life,"  cried  Natty,  "John  is  on  the  scent!  It 
was  the  carpenter ;  and  lie  has  got  on  the  rock  back  of  the 
kennel,  and  let  the  dogs  loose  by  fastening  his  knife  to  a 
stick.  It  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  do  it,  where  a  man  is 
so  minded." 

"  And  why  should  he  do  so  ?  "  asked  Edwards :  "  who 
has  done  him  wrong,  that  he  should  trouble  two  old  men 
like  you  ?  " 

"  It's  a  hard  matter,  lad,  to  know  men's  ways,  I  find, 
since  the  settlers  have  brought  in  their  new  fashions.  But 
is  there  nothing  to  be  found  out  in  the  place  ?  and  maybe 
he  is  troubled  with  his  longings  after  other  people's  business, 
as  he  often  is." 

"  Your  suspicions  are  just.  Give  me  the  canoe :  I  am 
young  and  strong,  and  will  get  down  there  yet,  perhaps,  in 
time  to  interrupt  his  plans.  Heaven  forbid  that  we  should 
be  at  the  mercy  of  such  a  man  !  " 

His  proposal  was  accepted,  the  deer  being  placed  in  the 
skiff  in  order  to  lighten  the  canoe,  and  in  less  than  five 
minutes  the  little  vessel  of  bark 'was  gliding  over  the  glassy 
lake,  and  was  soon  hid  by  the  points  of  land,  as  it  shot 
close  along  the  shore. 

Mohegan  followed  slowly  with  the  skiff,  while  Natty 
called  his  hounds  to  him,  bade  them  keep  close,  and,  shoul 
dering  his  rifle,  he  ascended  the  mountain,  with  an  intention 
rf  going  to  the  hut  by  land. 


THE  PIONEERS  811 


CHAPTER  XXVIH 

Aftk  me  not  what  the  maiden  feels, 

Left  in  that  dreadful  hour  alone; 
Perchance,  her  reason  stoops,  or  reels  j 

Perchance,  a  courage  not  her  own, 

Braces  her  mind  to  desperate  tone. 

SCOTT. 

WHILE  the  chase  was  occurring  on  the  lake,  Miss  Tem« 
pie  and  her  companion  pursued  their  walk  on  the  mountain. 
Male  attendants  on  such  excursions  were  thought  to  be 
altogether  unnecessary,  for  none  were  ever  known  to  offer 
an  insult  to  a  female,  who  respected  herself.  After  the  em- 
barrassmenVcreated  by  the  parting  discourse  with  Edwards 
had  dissipated,  the  girls  maintained  a  conversation  that  was 
as  innocent  and  cheerful  as  themselves. 

The  path  they  took  led  them  but  a  short  distance  above 
the  hut  of  Leather-Stocking,  and  there  was  a  point  in  the 
road  which  commanded  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  sequestered 
spot. 

From  a  feeling  that  might  have  been  natural,  and  must 
have  been  powerful,  neither  of  the  friends,  in  their  frequent 
and  confidential  dialogues,  had  ever  trusted  herself  to  utter 
one  syllable  concerning  the  equivocal  situation  in  which  the 
young  man  who  was  now  so  intimately  associated  with 
them,  had  been  found.  If  Judge  Temple  had  deemed  it 
prudent  to  make  any  inquiries  on  the  subject,  he  had  also 
thought  it  proper  to  keep  the  answers  to  himself;  though 
it  was  so  common  an  occurrence  to  find  the  well  educated 
youth  of  the  Eastern  States  in  every  stage  of  their  career 
to  wealth,  that  the  simple  circumstance  of  his  intelligence, 
connected  with  his  poverty,  would  not,  at  that  day,  and  IB 
that  country,  have  excited  any  very  powerful  curiosity. 
With  his  breeding,  it  might  have  been  different ;  but  th« 


812  THE  PIONEERS. 

youth  himself  had  so  effectually  guarded  against  surprise  on 
this  subject,  by  his  cold,  and  even,  in  some  cases,  rude  de 
portment,  that  when  his  manners  seemed  to  soften  by  time, 
'the  Judge,  if  he  thought  about  it  at  all,  would  have  been 
most  likely  to  imagine  that  the  improvement  was  the  result 
of  his  late  association.  But  women  are  always  more  alive 
to  snch  subjects  than  men  ;  and  what  the  abstraction  of  the 
father  had  overlooked,  the  observation  of  the  daughter  had 
easily  detected.  In  the  thousand  little  courtesies  of  pol 
ished  life,  she  had  early  discovered  that  Edwards  was  not 
wanting,  though  his  gentleness  was  so  often  crossed  by 
marks  of  what  she  conceived'  to  be  fierce  and  uncontroll 
able  passions.  It  may,  perhaps,  be  unnecessary  to  tell  the 
reader  that  Louisa  Grant  never  reasoned  so  much  after  the 
fashions  of  the  world.  The  gentle  girl,  however,  had  her 
own  thoughts  on  the  subject,  and,  like  others,  she  drew  her 
own  conclusions. 

"  I  would  give  all  my  other  secrets,  Louisa,"  exclaimed 
Miss  Temple,  laughing,  and  shaking  back  her  dark  locks, 
with  a  look  of  childish  simplicity  that  her  intelligent  face 
seldom  expressed,  "  to  be  mistress  of  all  that  those  rude 
logs  have  heard  and  witnessed." 

They  were  both  looking  at  the  secluded  hut  at  the  instant, 
and  Miss  Grant  raised  her  mild  eyes  as  she  answered,  — 

"  I  am  sure  they  would  tell  nothing  to  the  disadvantage 
of  Mr.  Edwards." 

"  Perhaps  not ;  but  they  might,  at  least,  tell  who  he  is."  * 

"  Why,  dear  Miss  Temple,  we  know  all  that  already. 
I  have  heard  it  all  very  rationally  explained  by  your 
cousin  "  — 

"  The  executive  chief!  he  can  explain  anything.  His 
ingenuity  will  one  day  discover  the  philosopher's  stone. 
But  what  did  he  say  ?  " 

"  Say  !  "  echoed  Louisa,  with  a  look  of  surprise  ;  "  why, 
everything  that  seemed  to  me  to  be  satisfactory  and  I  have 
believed  it  to  be  true.  He  said  that  Natty  Bumppo  had 
lived  most  of  his  life  in  the  woods,  and  among  the  Indians, 
Dy  wliich  means  he  had  formed  an  acquaintance  with  old 
John,  the  Delaware  chief.'* 


THE  PIONEERS.  818 

tt  Indeed !  that  was  quite  a  matter-of-fact  tale  for  cousin 
Dickon.  What  came  next  ?  " 

"  I  believe  he  accounted  for  their  close  intimacy,  by  some 
story  about  the  Leather-Stocking  saving  the  life  of  John  in 
a  battle." 

"Nothing  more  likely,"  said  Elizabeth,  a  little  impa 
tiently ;  "  but  what  is  all  this  to  the  purpose  ?  " 

"  Nay,  Elizabeth,  you  must  bear  with  my  ignorance,  and 
I  will  repeat  all  that  I  remember  to  have  overheard  ;  for 
the  dialogue  was  between  my  father  and  the  Sheriff,  so 
lately  as  the  last  time  they  met.  He  then  added,  that  the 
kings  of  England  used  to  keep  gentlemen  as  agents  among 
the  different  tribes  of  Indians,  and  sometimes  officers  in  the 
army,  who  frequently  passed  half  their  lives  on  the  edge  of 
the  wilderness." 

"  Told  with  wonderful  historical  accuracy !  And  did  he 
end  there?" 

"  O !  no ;  then  he  said  that  these  agents  seldom  married ; 
and  —  and  —  they  must  have  been  wicked  men,  Elizabeth  ! 
but  I  assure  you  he  said  so." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Miss  Temple,  blushing  and  smiling, 
though  so  slightly,  that  both  were  unheeded  by  her  com 
panion,  "  skip  all  that." 

"  Well,  then,  he  said  that  they  often  took  great  pride  in 
the  education  of  their  children,  whom  they  frequently  sent 
to  England,  and  even  to  the  colleges ;  and  this  is  the  way 
that  he  accounts  for  the  liberal  manner  in  which  Mr. 
Edwards  has  been  taught;  for  he  acknowledges  that  he 
knows  almost  as  much  as  your  father  —  or  mine  —  or  even 
liuwelf." 

"  Quite  a  climax  in  learning ! '  And  so  he  made  Mohe- 
g**n  the  grand  uncle,  or  grandfather  of  Oliver  Edwards." 

<v  You  have  heard  him  yourself,  then  ?  "  said  Louisa. 

"Often;  but  not  on  this  subject.  Mr.  Richard  Jones, 
you  know,  dear,  has  a  theory  for  everything ;  but  has  he 
one  which  will  explain  the  reason  why  that  hut  is  the  onlj 
habitation  within  fifty  miles  of  us,  whose  door  is  not  open 
to  every  person  who  may  choose  to  lift  its  latch  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  heard  him  say  anything  on  this  subject," 


814  THE  PIONEERS. 

returned  the  clergyman's  daughter ;  "  but  I  suppose  that,  M 
they  are  poor,  they  very  naturally  are  anxious  to  keep  the 
little  that  they  honestly  own.  It  is  sometimes  dangerous 
to  be  rich,  Miss  Temple  ;  but  you  cannot  know  how  hard  it 
is  to  be  very,  very  poor." 

"  Nor  you,  I  trust,  Louisa  ;  at  least  I  should  hope,  that,  in 
this  land  of  abundance,  no  minister  of  the  Church  could  be 
left  to  absolute  suffering." 

"  There  cannot  be  actual  misery,"  returned  the  other,  in 
a  low  and  humble  tone,  "  where  there  is  a  dependence  on 
our  Maker ;  but  there  may  be  such  suffering  as  will  cause 
the  heart  to  ache." 

"  But  not  you  —  not  you,"  said  the  impetuous  Eliz 
abeth;  "not  you,  dear  girl:  you  have  never  known  the 
misery  that  is  connected  with  poverty." 

"  Ah !  Miss  Temple,  you  little  understand  the  troubles 
of  this  life,  I  believe.  My  father  has  spent  many  years  as 
a  missionary  in  the  new  countries,  where  his  people  were 
poor,  and  frequently  we  have  been  without  bread ;  unable 
to  buy,  and  ashamed  to  beg,  because  we  would  not  disgrace 
his  sacred  calling.  But  how  often  have  I  seen  him  leave  his 
home,  where  the  sick  and  the  hungry  felt,  when  he  left 
them,  that  they  had  lost  their  only  earthly  friend,  to  ride 
on  a  duty  which  could  not  be  neglected  for  domestic  evils. 
O !  how  hard  it  must  be  to  preach  consolation  to  others, 
when  your  own  heart  is  bursting  with  anguish !  " 

"  But  it  is  all  over  now  !  your  father's  income  must  now 
be  equal  to  his  wants  —  it  must  be  —  it  shall  be  "  — 

"  It  is,"  replied  Louisa,  dropping  her  head  on  her  bosom, 
to  conceal  the  tears  which  flowed  in  spite  of  her  gentle 
Christianity,  "  for  there  are  none  left  to  be  supplied  but 
me." 

The  turn  the  conversation  had  taken  drove  from  the 
minds  of  the  young  maidens  all  other  thoughts  but  those - 
of  holy  charity  ;  and  Elizabeth  folded  her  friend  in  her 
arms,  when  the  latter  gave  vent  to  her  momentary  grief  in 
audible  sobs.  When  this  burst  of  emotion  had  subsided, 
Louisa  raised  her  mild  countenance,  and  they  continued 
their  walk  in  silence. 


THE   PIONEERS.  315 

By  this  time  they  had  gained  the  summit  of  the  moun 
tain,  where  they  left  the  highway,  and  pursued  their  course 
under  the  shade  of  the  stately  trees  that  crowned  the  emi 
nence.  The  day  was  becoming  warm,  and  the  girls  plunged 
more  deep'7  into  tne  f°restJ  as  tnev  found  its  invigorating 
coolness  agreeably  contrasted  to  the  excessive  heat  they  had 
experienced  in  the  ascent.  The  conversation,  as  if  by  mu 
tual  consent,  was  entirely  changed  to  the  little  incidents  and 
Bcenes  of  their  walk,  and  every  tall  pine,  and  every  shrub 
or  flower,  called  forth  some  simple  expression  of  admira 
tion. 

In  this  manner  they  proceeded  along  the  margin  of  the  / 
precipice,  catching  occasional  glimpses  of  the  placid  Ot- 
sego,  or  pausing  to  listen  to  the  rattling  of  wheels  and  the 
sounds  of  hammers,  that  rose  from  the  valley,  to  mingle  the 
signs  of  men  with  the  scenes  of  nature,  when  Elizabeth 
suddenly  started,  and  exclaimed  — 

"  Listen !  there  are  the  cries  of  a  child  on  this  moun 
tain  !  is  there  a  clearing  near  us  ?  or  can  some  little  ono 
have  strayed  from  its  parents  ?  " 

"  Such  things  frequently  happen,"  returned  Louisa. 
"  Let  us  follow  the  sound  :  it  may  be  a  wanderer  starving 
on  the  hill." 

Urged  by  this  consideration,  the  females  pursued  the  low, 
mournful  sounds,  that  proceeded  from  the  forest,  with  quick 
and  impatient  steps.  More  than  once  the  ardent  Elizabeth 
was  on  the  point  of  announcing  that  she  saw  the  sufferer, 
when  T^ouisa  caught  her  by  the  arm,  and  pointing  behind 
them,  oried, — 

"  Look  at  the  dog ! " 

Brave  had  been  their  companion,  from  the  time  the  voice 
of  his  young  mistress  lured  him  from  his  keniiel,  to  the 
present  moment.  His  advanced  age  had  long  before  de 
prived  him  of  his  activity ;  and  when  his  companions 
stopped  to  view  the  scenery,  or  to  add  to  their  bouquets, 
the  mastiff  would  lay  his  huge  frame  on  the  ground,  and 
await  their  movements,  with  his  eyes  closed,  and  a  listless- 
ness  in  his  air  that  ill  accorded  with  the  character  of  a  pro 
tector  "But  when,  aroused  by  this  cry  from  Louisa,  Miss 


816  THE   PIONEERS. 

"Temple  turned,  she  saw  f.he  dog  with  his  eyes  keenly  set  on 
some  distant  object,  his  head  bent  near  the  ground,  and  his 
hair  actually  rising  on  his  body,  through  fright  or  anger,  li 
was  most  probably  the  latter,  for  he  was  growling  in  a  lew 
key,  and  occasionally  showing  his  teeth,  in  a  manner  that 
would  have  terrified  Ins  mistress,  had  she  not  so  well  known 
his  good  qualities*. 

"  Brave  !  "  she  said,  "  be  quiet,  Brave  !  what  do  you  see, 
fellow?" 

At  the  sounds  of  her  voice,  the  rage  of  the  mastiff,  instead 
of  being  at  all  diminished,  was  very  sensibly  increased.  He 
stalked  in  front  of  the  ladies,  and  seated  himself  at  the  feet 
of  his  mistress,  growling  louder  than  before,  and  occasionally 
giving  vent  to  his  ire,  by  a  short,  surly  barking. 

"  What  does  he  see  ?  "  said  Elizabeth  :  "  there  must  be 
some  animal  in  sight." 

Hearing  no  answer  from  her  companion,  Miss  Temple 
turned  her  head,  and  beheld  Louisa,  standing  with  her  face 
whitened  to  the  color  of  death,  and  her  finger  pointing  up 
wards,  with  a  sort  of  flickering,  convulsed  motion.  The 
quick  eye  of  Elizabeth  glanced  in  the  direction  indicated 
by  her  friend,  where  she  saw  the  fierce  front  and  glaring 
eyes  of  a  female  panther,  fixed  on  them  in  horrid  malignity, 
and  threatening  to  leap.1 

"  Let  us  fly !  "  exclaimed  Elizabeth,  grasping  the  arm  of 
Louisa,  whose  form  yielded  like  melting  snow. 

There  was  not  a  single  feeling  in  the  temperament  of* 
Elizabeth  Temple  that  could  prompt  her  to  desert  a  com 
panion  in  such  an  extremity.  She  fell  on  her  knees,  by  the 
side  of  the  inanimate  Louisa,  tearing  from  the  person  of  her 
friend,  with  instinctive  readiness,  such  parts  of  her  dress  as 
might  obstruct  her  respiration,  and  encouraging  their  ouly 
safeguard,  the  dog,  at  the  same  time,  by  the  sounds  of  her 
voice. 

"  Courage,  Brave  !  "  she  cried,  her  own  tones  beginning 
to  tremble,  "  courage,  courage,  good  Brave ! '' 

A  quarter-grown  cub,  that  had  hitherto  been  anseen,  now 
appeared,  dropping  from  the  branches  of  a  sapling  that  grew 
under  the  shade  of  the  beech  which  held  its  dam.  Thii 


THE  PIONEERS.  817 

ignorant,  but  vicious  creature,  approached  the  dog,  imitating 
the  actions  and  sounds  of  its  parent,  but  exhibiting  a  strange 
mixture  of  the  playfulness  of  a  kitten  with  the  ferocity  of 
its  race.  Standing  on  its  hind  legs,  it  would  rend  the  bark 
of  a  tree  with  its  fore  paws,  and  play  the  antics  of  a  cat; 
and  then,  by  lashing  itself  with  its  tail,  growling,  and  scratch 
ing  the  earth,  it  would  attempt  the  manifestations  of  anger 
that  rendered  its  parent  so  terrific. 

All  this  time  Brave  stood  firm  and  undaunted,  his  short 
tail  erect,  his  body  drawn  backward  on  its  haunches,  and 
his  eyes  following  the  movements  of  both  dam  and  cub.  At 
every  gambol  played  by  the  latter,  it  approached  nigher  to 
the  dog,  the  growling  of  the  three  becoming  more  horrid  at 
each  moment,  until  the  younger  beast,  overleaping  its  in 
tended  bound,  fell  directly  before  the  mastiff.  There  was  a 
moment  of  fearful  cries  and  struggles,  but  they  ended  almost 
as  soon  as  commenced,  by  the  cub  appearing  in  the  air, 
hurled  from  the  jaws  of  Brave,  with  a  violence  that  sent  it 
against  a  tree  so  forcibly  as  to  render  it  completely  senseless. 

Elizabeth  witnessed  the  short  struggle,  and  her  blood  was 
warming  with  the  triumph  of  the  dog,  when  she  saw  the 
form  of  the  old  panther  in  the  air,  springing  twenty  feet 
from  the  branch  of  the  beech  to  the  back  of  the  mastilf. 
No  words  of  ours  can  describe  the  fury  of  the  conflict  that 
followed.  It  was  a  confused  struggle  on  the  dry  leaves,  ac-j 
sompanied  by  loud  and  terrific  cries.  Miss  Temple  contin 
ued  on  her  knees,  bending  over  the  form  of  Louisa,  her  eyes 
fixed  on  the  animals,  with  an  interest  so  horrid,  and  yet  so 
intense,  that  she  almost  forgot  her  own  stake  in  the  result 
So  rapid  and  vigorous  were  the  bounds  of  the  inhabitant  of 
the  forest,  that  its  active  frame  seemed  constantly  in  the  air, 
while  the  dog  nobly  faced  his  foe  at  each  successive  leap. 
When  the  panther  lighted  on  the  shoulders  of  the  mastiff, 
which  was  its  constant  aim,  old  Brave,  though  torn  with  her 
talons,  and  stained  with  his  own  blood,  that  already  flowed 
from  a  dozen  wounds,  would  shake  off  his  furious  foe  like  a 
feather,  and  rearing  on  his  hind  legs,  rush  to  the  fray  again, 
with  jaws  distended,  and  a  dauntless  eye.  But  age,  and  his 
pampered  life,  greatly  d:squalified  the  noble  mastiff  fo?  such 


818  THE  PIONEERS. 

a  struggle.  In  everything  but  courage,  he  was  only  Jie 
vestige  of  what  he  had  once  been.  A  higher  bound  Lian 
ever  raised  the  wary  and  furious  beast  far  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  dog,  who  was  making  a  desperate  but  fruitless  dash 
at  her,  from  which  she  alighted  in  a  favorable  position,  on 
the  back  of  her  aged  foe.  For  a  single  moment  only  could 
the  panther  remain  there,  the  great  strength  of  the  dog  re 
turning  with  a  convulsive  effort.  But  Elizabeth  saw,  as 
Brave  fastened  his  teeth  in  the  side  of  his  enemy,  that  the 
collar  of  brass  around  his  neck,  which  had  been  glittering 
throughout  the  fray,  was  of  the  color  of  blood,  and  directly, 
that  his  frame  was  sinking  to  the  earth,  where  it  soon  lay 
prostrate  and  helpless.  Several  mighty  efforts  of  the  wild 
cat  to  extricate  herself  from  the  jaws  of  the  dog  followed, 
but  they  were  fruitless,  until  the  mastiff  turned  on  his  back, 
his  lips  collapsed,  and  his  teeth  loosened,  when  the  short 
convulsions  and  stillness  that  succeeded,  announced  the 
death  of  poor  Brave. 

Elizabeth  now  lay  wholly  at  the  mercy  of  the  beast. 
There  is  said  to  be  something  in  the  front  of  the  image  of 
the  Maker  that  daunts  the  hearts  of  the  inferior  beings  of 
his  creation  ;  and  it  would  seem  that  some  such  power,  in 
the  present  instance,  suspended  the  threatened  blow.  The 
eyes  of  the  monster  and  the  kneeling  maiden  met  for  an  in 
stant,  when  the  former  stooped  to  examine  her  fallen  foe  ; 
next  to  scent  her  luckless  cub.  From  the  latter  examina 
tion,  it  turned,  however,  with  its  eyes  apparently  emitting 
flashes  of  fire,  its  tail  lashing  its  sides  furiously,  and  its  claws 
projecting  inches  from  her  broad  feet. 

iliss  Temple  did  not  or  could  not  move.  Her  hands  were 
clasped  in  the  attitude  of  prayer,  but  her  eyes  were  stDJ 
drawn  to  her  terrible  enemy ;  her  cheeks  were  blanched  to 
the  whiteness  of  marble,  and  her  lips  were  slightly  separated 
with  horror. 

The  moment  seemed  now  to  have  arrived  for  the  fatal 
termination,  and  the  beautiful  figure  of  Elizabeth  was  bow 
ing  meekly  to  the  stroke,  when  a  rustling  of  leaves  behind 
seemec!  rather  to  mock  the  organs  than  to  meet  hei 
ears. 


THE   PIONEERS.  819 

"  Hist !  hist !  "  said    a   low   voice,    "  stoop    lower,   gal 
your  bonnet  hides  the  creatur's  head." 

It  was  rather  the  yielding  of  nature  than  a  compliance 
with  this  unexpected  order,  that  caused  the  head  of  our  her 
oine  to  sink  on  her  hosoin ;  when  she  heard  the  report  of 
the  rifle,  the  whizzing  of  the  bullet,  and  the  enraged  cries 
of  the  beast,  who  was  rolling  over  on  the  earth,  biting  iti 
own  flesh,  and  tearing  the  twigs  and  branches  within  its 
reach.  At  the  next  instant  the  form  of  the  Leather-Stock 
ing  rushed  by  her,  and  he  called  aloud, — 

"  Come  "in>  Hector,  come  in,  old  fool ;  'tis  a  hard-lived 
animal,  and  miy  jump  ag'in." 

Natty  fearlessly  maintained  his  position  ia  front  of  tha 
females,  notwithstanding  the  violent  bounds  and  threaten 
ing  aspect  of  the  wounded  panther,  whioh  gave  several  indi 
cations  of  returning  strength  and  ferocity,  until  his  rifle  was 
again  loaded,  when  he  stepped  up  to. the  enraged  animal, 
and  placing  the  muzzle  close  to  its  head,  every  spark  of  life 
was  extinguished  by  the  discharge. 

The  deatli  of  her  terrible  enemy  appeared  to  Elizabeth 
like  a  resurrection  from  her  own  grave.  There  was  an 
elasticity  in  the  mind  of  our  heroine  that  rose  to  meet  the 
pressure  of  instant  danger,  and  the  more  direct  it  had  been, 
the  more  her  nature  had  struggled  to  overcome  it.  But  • 
still  she  was  a  woman.  Had  she  been  left  to  herself  in  her 
late  extremity,  she  would  probably  have  used  her  faculties 
to  the  utmost,  and  with  discretion,  in  protecting  her  person  ; 
but  encumbered  with  her  inanimate  friend,  retreat  was  a 
thing  not  to  be  attempted.  Notwithstanding  the  fearful 
aspect  of  her  foe,  the  eye  of  Elizabeth  had  never  shrunk 
from  its  gaze,  and  long  after  the  event  her  thoughts  would 
Fs3cui  to  her  passing  sensations,  and  the  sweetness  of  her 
midnight  sleep  would  be  disturbed,  as  her  active  fancy  con- 
jared,  in  dreams,  the  most  trifling  movements  of  savage 
furv  that  the  beast  had  exhibited  in  its  moment  of  power. 
1/VfQ  shall  leave  the  reader  to  imagine  the  restoration  of 
Louisa's  senses,  and  the  expressions  of  gratitude  which  fell 
tiom  the  young  women.  The  former  was  effected  by  a  little 
r,  that  was  brought  from  ono  of  the  thousand  springi 


320  THE   PIONEERS. 

of  those  mountains,  in  the  cap  of  the  Leather-Stocking  ;  and 
the  latter  were  uttered  with  the  waynith  that  might  be  ex 
pected  from  the  character  of  Elizabeth!]  Natty  received  her 
vehement  protestations  of  gratitude  with  a  simple  expression 
of  good-will,  and  with  indulgence  for  her  present  excitement, 
but  with  a  carelessness  that  showed  how  little  he  thought  of 
the  service  ho  had  rendered. 

"  Well,  well,"  he  said,  "  be  it  so,  gal ;  let  it  be  so,  if  yot, 
wish  it  —  we'll  talk  the  thing  over  another  time.  Come, 
come  ;  let  us  get  into  the  road,  for  you've  had  terror  enough 
to  make  you  wish  yourself  in  your  father's  house  ag'in." 

This  was  uttered  as  they  were  proceeding,  at  a  pace  that 
was  adapted  to  the  weakness  of  Louisa,  towards  the  high 
way  :  on  reaching  which,  the  ladies  separated  from  their 
guide,  declaring  themselves  equal  to  the  remainder  of  the 
walk  without  his  assistance,  and  feeling  encouraged  by  the 
sight  of  the  village,  whicli  lay  beneath  their  feet  like  a  pic 
ture,  with  its  limpid  lake  in  front,  the  winding  stream  along 
its  margin,  and  its  hundred  chimneys  of  whitened  bricks. 

The  reader  need  not  be  told  the  nature  of  the  emotions 
rhich  two  youthful,  ingenuous,  and  well-educated  girls  would 
experience  at  their  escape  from  a  death  so  horrid  as  the  one 
which  had  impended  over  them,  while  they  pursued  their 
way  in  silence  along  the  track  on  the  side  of  the  mountain ; 
nor  how  deep  were  their  mental  thanks  to  that  Power  which 
had  given  them  their  existence,  and  which  had  not  deserted 
them  in  their  extremity  ;  neither  how  often  they  pressed  eacb 
other's  arms,  as  the  assurance  of  their  present  safety  came 
like  a  healing  balm  athwart  their  troubled  spirits,  when  their  > 
thoughts  were  recurring  to  the  recent  moments  of  horror. 

Leather-Stocking  remained  on  the  hill,  gazing  after  their 
retiring  figures,  until  they  were  hidden  by  a  bend  in  the 
road,  when  he  whistled  in  his  dogs,  and  shouldering  his  rifle, 
he  returned  into  the  forest. 

"  Well,  it  was  a  skeary  thing  to  the  young  creaturs,"  said 
Natty,  while  he  retrod  the  path  towards  the  plain.  "  It 
might  frighten  an  older  wo  man,  to  see  a  she  painter  so  neai 
her,  with  a  dead  cub  by  its  side.  I  wonder  if  I  had  aimed 
at  the  varmint's  eye,  if  I  shouldn't  have  touched  the  life 


THE  PIONEERS.  821 

sooner  than  in  the  forehead ;  but  they  are  hard-lived  ani 
mals,  and  it  was  a  good  shot,  consid'ring  that  I  could  see 
nothing  but  the  head  and  the  peak  of  its  tail.  Ha !  who 
goes  there  7 

"  How  goes  i.,  Natty  ?  "  said  Mr.  Doolittle,  stepping  out 
of  the  bushes,  with  a  motion  that  was  a  good  deal  accelerated 
by  the  sight  of  the  rifle,  that  was  already  lowered  in  his  di 
rection.     "  What !  shooting  this  warm  day !  mind,  old  man* 
the  law  don't  get  hold  on  you." 

"  The  law,  squire  !  I  have  shook  hands  with  the  law 
these  forty  year,"  returned  Natty ;  "  for  what  has  a  man 
who  lives  in  the  wilderness  to  do  with  the  ways  of  the 
law?" 

"  Not  much,  maybe,"  said  Hiram ;  "  but  you  sometimes 
trade  in  venison.  I  s'pose  you  know,  Leather-Stocking, 
that  there  is  an  act  passed  to  lay  a  fine  of  five  pounds  cur 
rency,  or  twelve  dollars  and  fifty  cents,  by  decimals,  on  every 
man  who  kills  a  deer  betwixt  January  and  August.  The 
Judge  had  a  great  hand  in  getting  the  law  through." 

"  I  can  believe  it,"  returned  the  old  hunter ;  "  I  can  be 
lieve  that  or  anything,  of  a  man  who  carries  on  as  he  doee 
in  the  country." 

"  Yes,  the  law  is  quite  positive,  and  the  Judge  is  bent  on 
putting  it  in  force  —  five  pounds  penalty.  I  thought  I 
heard  your  hounds  out  on  the  scent  of  so'thing  this  morn 
ing  ;  I  didn't  know  but  they  might  get  you  in  difficulty." 

"  They  know  their  manners  too  well,"  said  Natty,  care 
lessly.  "  And  how  much  goes  to  the  State's  evidence, 
squire  ?  " 

"  How  much!  "  repeated  Hiram,  quailing  under  the  hon« 
est  but  sharp  look  of  the  hunter :  "  the  informer  *ets  half, 
I  —  I  believe  ;  yes,  I  guess  it's  half.  But  there's  blood  on 
your  sleeve,  man  ;  you  haven't  been  shooting  anything  this 
morning  ?  " 

"  I  have,  though,"  said  the  hunter,  nodding  his  head  sig- 
o  Scantly  to  the  other,  "  and  a  good  shot  I  made  of  it." 

"  II  -e-m  ! "  ejaculated  the  magistrate ;  "  and  where  is  the 
game  ?  I  s'pose  it's  of  a  good  natur*,  for  youi  dogs  won't 

hunt  at  anything  that  isn't  choxe." 
it 


822  THE  PIONEERS. 

"They'll  hunt  anything  I  tell  them  to,  squire,"  crievl 
Natty,  favoring  the  other  with  his  laugh.  "  They'll  hunt  you, 
if  1  say  so.  He-e-e-re,  he-e-e-re,  Hector  —  he-e-e-re,  slut  — 
come  tliis-away,  pups  —  come  this-away  —  come  hither." 

"  O  !  I  have  always  heard  a  good  character  of  the  dogs,'1 
returned  Mr.  Doolittle,  quickening  his  pace  by  raising  each 
leg  in  rapid  succession,  as  the  hounds  scented  around  his 
person.  "  And  where  is  the  game,  Leather-Stocking  ?  " 

During  this  dialogue,  the  speakers  had  been  walking  at  & 
very  fast  gait,  and  Natty  swung  the  end  of  his  rifle  round, 
pointing  through  the  bushes,  and  replied,  — 

"  There  lies  one.     How  do  you  like  such  meat?" 

"  This  !  "  exclaimed  Hiram  ;  "  why  this  is  Judge  Temple's 
dog  Brave.  Take  care,  Leather-Stocking,  and  don't  make 
an  enemy  of  the  Judge.  I  hope  you  haven't  harmed  the 
animal  ?  " 

"  Look  for  yourself,  Mr.  Doolittle,"  said  Natty,  drawing 
his  knife  from  his  girdle,  and  wiping  it,  in  a  knowing  man 
ner,  once  or  twice  across  his  garment  of  buckskin ;  "  doe* 
his  throat  look  as  if  I  had  cut  it  with  this  knife  ?  " 

"  It  is  dreadfully  torn !  it's  an  awful  wound  —  no  knife 
never  did  this  deed.  Who  could  have  done  it  ?  " 

"  The  painters  behind  you,  squire." 

"  VjiiiitCES  !  "  echoed  Hiram,  whirling  on  his  heel  with  an 
agility  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a  dancing-master. 

"  Be  easy,  man,"  said  Natty  ;  "  there's  two  of  the  venomous 
things  ;  but  the  dog  finished  one,  and   I  have  fastened   the  ' 
other's  jaws  for  her ;    so  don't  be  frightened,  squire,  they 
won't  hurt  you." 

"  And  where's  the  deer  ?  "  cried  Hiram,  staring  about  him 
until  a  bewildered  air. 

"  An:m  !  deer !  "  repeated  Natty. 

"  Sartain,  ain't  there  venison  here,  or  didn't  yot  kill  a 
hnck?" 

"  What !  when  the  law  forbids  the  thing,  squire  !  "  said 
die  ol'l  hunter.  "  I  hope  there's  no  law  agin  killing  the 
painters." 

"  No  ;  there's  a  bounty  on  the  scalps  ;  but  —  will  ycm 
dogs  hunt  painters,  Natty  ?  " 


THE  PIONEERS.  323 

u  Anything  ,  didn't  I  tell  you  they'd  hunt  a  man  ? 
He-e-re,  he-e-re,  pups  "  — 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  remember.  Well,  they  are  strange  dogs,  I 
must  say  —  I  am  quite  in  a  wonderment." 

Natty  had  seated  himself  on  the  ground,  and  having  laid 
the  grim  head  of  his  late  ferocious  enemy  in  his  lap,  was 
drawing  his  knife  with  a  practiced  hand  around  the  ears, 
which  he  tore  from  the  head  of  the  beast  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  preserve  their  connection,  when  he  answered,  — 

"  What  at,  squire  ?  did  you  never  see  a  painter's  scalp 
afore  ?  Come,  you  are  a  magistrate,  I  wish  you'd  make  me 
out  an  order  for  the  bounty." 

"  The  bounty  ! "  repeated  Hiram,  holding  the  ears  on  the 
end  of  his  finger,  for  a  moment,  as  if  uncertain  how  to  pro 
ceed.  "  Well,  let  us  go  down  to  your  hut,  where  you  can 
take  the  oath,  and  I  will  write  out  the  order.  I  suppose 
you  have  a  Bible  ?  all  the  law  wants  is  the  four  evangelists 
and  the  Lord's  prayer." 

"  I  keep  no  books,"  said  Natty,  a  little  coldly :  "  not  such 
a  Bible  as  the  law  needs." 

u  0 !  there's  but  one  sort  of  Bible  that's  good  in  law," 
returned  the  magistrate  :  "  and  your'n  will  do  as  well  as 
another's.  Come,  the  carcasses  are  worth  nothing,  man  ;  let 
us  go  down  and  take  the  oath." 

"  Softly,  softly,  squire,"  said  the  hunter,  lifting  his 
trophies  very  deliberately  from  the  ground,  and  shouldering 
his  rifle;  "why  do  you  want  an  oath  at  all,  for  a  thing 
that  your  own  eyes  has  seen  ?  won't  you  believe  yourself, 
that  another  man  must  swear  to  a  fact  that  you  know  to  be 
true  ?  You  have  seen  me  scalp  the  creaturs,  and  if  I  must 
swear  to  it,  it  shall  be  before  Judge  Temple,  who  needs  an 
oath." 

"  But  we  have  no  pen  or  paper  here,  Leather-Stocking; 
we  must  go  to  the  hut  for  them,  or  how  can  I  write  the 
order." 

Natty  turned  his  simple  features  on  the  cunning  magis 
trate  with  another  of  his  laughs,  as  he  said,  — 

44  And  what  should  I  be  Join"  with  scholars'  tools?      I 

£3 

want  no  pens  or  paper    not  knowing  the  use  of  either ;  and 


824  THE   PIONEERS. 

I  keep  none.  No,  no,  I'll  bring  the  scalps  into  the  village, 
squire,  and  you  can  make  out  the  order  on  one  of  your 
law-books,  and  it  will  be  all  the  better  for  it.  The  deuce 
take  this  leather  on  the  neck  of  the  dog,  it  will  strangle 
the  old 'fool.  Can  you  lend  me  a  knife,  squire  ?  " 

Hiram,  who  seemed  particularly  anxious  to  be  on  good 
terms  with  his  companion,  unhesitatingly  complied.  Natty 
cut  the  thong  from  the  neck  of  the  hound,  and,  as  he  re 
turned  the  knife  to  its  owner,  carelessly  remarked,  — 

"  Tis  a  good  bit  of  steel,  and  has  cut  such  leather  as  this 
very  same,  before  now,  I  dare  say." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  charge  me  with  letting  your  hounds 
loose?"  exclaimed  Hiram,  with  a  consciousness  that  dis 
armed  his  caution. 

"  Loose  ! "  repeated  the  hunter,  "  I  let  them  loose  myself. 
I  always  let  them  loose  before  I  leave  the  hut.'* 

The  ungovernable  amazement  with  which  Mr.  Doolittlc 
listened  to  this  falsehood,  would  have  betrayed  his  agency 
in  the  liberation  of  the  dogs,  had  Natty  wanted  any  further 
confirmation ;  and  the  coolness  and  management  of  the  old 
man  now  disappeared  in  open  indignation. 

"  Look  you  here,  Mr.  Doolittle,"  he  said,  striking  the 
breech  of  his  rifle  violently  on  the  ground ;  "  what  there  is 
in  the  wigwam  of  a  poor  man  like  me,  that  one  like  you 
can  crave,  I  don't  know ;  but  this  I  tell  you  to  your  face, 
that  you  never  shall  put  foot  under  the  roof  of  my  cabin 
with  my  consent,  and  that  if  you  harbor  round  the  spot  as 
you  have  done  lately,  you  may  meet  with  treatment  that 
you  will  little  relish." 

"  And  let  me  tell  you,  Mr.  Bumppo,"  said  Hiram,  re 
treating,  however,  with  a  quick  step,  "  that  I  know  you've 
broke  the  law,  and  that  I'm  a  magistrate,  and  will  make 
you  feel  it  too,  before  }rou  are  a  day  older." 

"  That  for  you  and  your  law  too,"  cried  Natty,  snapping 
his  fingers  at  the  justice  of  the  peace :  "  away  with  you, 
you  varmint,  before  the  devil  tempts  me  to  give  you  your 
desarts.  Take  care,  if  I  ever  catch  your  prowling  face  in 
the  woods  ag'in,  that  I  don't  shoot  it  for  an  owl." 

There  is  something  at  all  times  commanding  in  honest 


THE  PIONEERS.  825 

indignation,  and  Hiram  did  not  stay  to  provoke  the  wrath 
of  the  old  hunter  to  extremities.  When  the  intruder  was 
out  of  sight,  Natty  proceeded  to  the  hut,  where  he  found 
all  quiet  as  the  grave.  He  fastened  his  dogs,  and  tapping 
at  the  door,  which  was  opened  by  Edwards,  asked,  — 

"  Is  all  safe,  lad ! " 

"Everything,"   returned    the    youth.      "Some    one    at 
tempted  the  lock,  but  it  was  too  strong  for  him." 

"  I  know  the  creator*,"  said  Natty,  "  but  he'll  not  trust 
himself  within  reach  of  my  rifle  very  soon" —  What 
more  was  uttered  by  the  Leather- Stocking,  in  his  vexation, 
wag  rendered  inaudible  by  the  closirg  of  the  door  of  thfl 
Cfttin. 


326  THE  PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

It  is  noised,  he  hath  a  mass  of  treasure. 

TIMOS  OP  ATKUOL 

WHEN  Mannaduke  Temple  and  his  cousin  rode  through 
the  gate  of  the  former,  the  heart  of  the  father  had  been  too 
recently  touched  with  the  best  feelings  of  our  nature,  to 
leave  inclination  for  immediate  discourse.  There  was  an 
importance  in  the  air  of  Richard,  which  would  not  have 
admitted  of  the  ordinary  informal  conversation  of  the 
Sheriff,  without  violating  all  the  rules  of  consistency ;  and 
the  equestrians  pursued  their  way  with  great  diligence,  for 
more  than  a  mile,  in  profound  silence.  At  length  the  soft 
expression  of  parental  affection  was  slowly  chased  from  the 
handsome  features  of  the  Judge,  and  was  gradually  sup 
planted  by  the  cast  of  humor  and  benevolence  that  was 
usually  seated  on  his  brow. 

"  Well,  Dickon,"  he  said,  "  since  I  have  yielded  myself 
BO  far  implicitly  to  your  guidance,  I  think  the  moment  has 
arrived  when  I  am  entitled  to  further  confidence.  Why 
and  wherefore  are  we  journeying  together  in  this  solemn 
gait?" 

The  Sheriff  gave  a  loud  hem,  that  rang  far  in  the  forest, 
and  keeping  his  eyes  fixed  on  objects  before  him,  like  a 
man  who  is  looking  deep  into  futurity,  — 

"  There  has  always  been  one  point  of  difference  between 
us,  Judge  Temple,  I  may  say,  since  our  nativity,"  lie  re 
plied  ;  "  not  that  I  would  insinuate  that  you  are  at  all  an 
swerable  for  the  acts  of  nature  ;  for  a  man  is  no  more  to 
be  condemned  for  the  misfortunes  of  his  birth,  than  he  is 
to  be  commended  for  the  natural  advantages  he  may  pos 
sess  ;  but  on  one  point  we  may  be  said  to  have  differed 
from  our  births,  and  they,  you  know,  occurred  within  two 
days  ol  each  other.' 


THE  PIONEERS.  827 

**  I  really  marvel,  Richard,  what  this  one  point  can  be  j 
for,  to  my  eyes,  we  seem  to  differ  so  materially,  and  BO 
often  "  — 

"  Mere  consequences,  sir,"  interrupted  the  Sheriff;  "  all 
our  minor  differences  proceed  from  one  cause,  and  that  if 
our  opinions  of  the  universal  attainments  of  genius." 

"  In  what,  Dickon  ?  " 

"  I  speak  plain  English,  I  believe,  Judge  Temple ;  a/ 
least  I  ought;  for  my  father,  who  taught  me,  coulo 
speak"  — 

"  Greek  and.  Latin,"  interrupted  Marmaduke.  "  I  well 
know  the  qualifications  of  your  family  in  tongues,  Dickon. 
But  proceed  to  the  point ;  why  are  we  travelling  over  this 
mountain  to-day  ?  " 

"  To  do  justice  to  any  subject,  sir,  the  narrator  must  be 
suffered  to  proceed  in  his  own  way,"  continued  the  Sheriff. 
*  You  are  of  opinion,  Judge  Temple,  that  a  man  is  to  be 
qualified  by  nature  and  education  to  do  only  one  thing  well, 
whereas  I  know  that  genius  will  supply  the  place  of  learn 
ing,  and  that  a  certain  sort  of  man  can  do  anything  and 
everything." 

"  Like  yourself,  I  suppose,"  said  Marmaduke,  smiling. 

"  I  scorn  personalities,  sir  ;  I  say  nothing  of  myself;  but 
there  are  three  men  on  your  Patent,  of  the  kind  that  I 
should  term  talented  by  nature  for  her  general  purposes, 
though  acting  under  the  influence  of  different  situations/* 

"  We  are  better  off,  then,  than  I  had  supposed.  Who 
are  these  triumviri?" 

"  Why,  sir,  one  is  Hiram  Doolittle  ;  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
as  you  know,  —  and  I  need  only  point  to  the  village  to  ex 
hibit  his  merits.  Then  he  is  a  magistrate,  and  might  shame 
many  a  man,  in  his  distributiop  of  justice,  who  has  had 
better  opportunities." 

"  Well,  he  is  one,"  said  Marmaduke,  with  the  air  of  n 
man  that  was  determined  not  to  dispute  the  point. 

"  Jotham  Riddel  is  another." 

"Who?" 

"Jotham  Riddel." 

"  What !  that  dissatisfied,  shiftless,  lazy,  speculating  fol 


828  THE  PUNEERS. 

low!  ho  who  changes  his  county  every  three  years,  his 
farm  every  six  months,  and  his  occupation  every  season 
an  agriculturist  yesterday,  a  shoemaker  to-day,  and  a  school 
master  to-morrow  ?  that  epitome  of  all  the  unsteady  and 
profitless  propensities  of  the  settlers  without  one  of  their 
good  qualities  to  counterbalance  the  evil !  Nay,  Richard, 
this  is  too  bad  for  even  —  but  the  third  ?  " 

"  As  the  third  is  not  used  to  hearing  such  comments  oil 
his  character,  Judge  Temple,  I  shall  not  name  him." 

"  The  amount  of  all  this,  then,  Dickon,  is,  that  the  trio, 
of  which  you  are  one,  and  the  principal,  have  made  some 
important  discovery." 

"  I  have  not  said  that  I  am  one,  Judge  Temple.  As  li 
told  you  before,  I  say  nothing  egotistical.  But  a  discovery 
has  been  made,  and  you  are  deeply  interested  in  it." 

"  Proceed  —  I  am  all  ears." 

"  No,  no,  'Duke,  you  are  bad  enough,  I  own,  but  not 
so  bad  as  that  either  ;  your  ears  are  not  quite  full  grown." 

The  Sheriff  laughed  heartily  at  his  own  wit,  and  put  him 
self  in  good  humor  thereby,  when  he  gratified  his  patient 
cousin  with  the  following  explanation :  — 

"  You  know,  'Duke,  there  is  a  man  living  on  your  estate 
that  goes  by  the  name  of  Natty  Bumppo.  Here  has  this 
man  lived,  by  what  I  can  learn,  for  more  than  forty  years  — 
by  himself,  until  lately ;  and  now  with  strange  companions.^* 

"  Part  very  true,  and  all  very  probable,"  said  the  Judge. 

"All  true,  sir;  all  true.  Well,  within  these  last  few 
months  have  appeared  as  his  companions,  an  old  Indian 
.;hief,  the  last,  or  one  of  the  last  of  his  tribe  that  is  to  bo 
found  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  a  young  man,  who  is 
said  to  be  the  son/of  some  Indian  agent,  by  a  squaw." 

"  AVho  says  that  ?  "  cried  Marmaduke,  with  an  interest 
that  he  had  not  manifested  before. 

"Who?  why  common  sense  —  common  report  —  the  hue 
and  cry.  But  listen  till  you  know  all.  This  youth  has 
very  pretty  talents  —  yes,  what  I  call  very  pretty  talents — • 
and  has  been  well  educated,  has  seen  very  tolerable  company 
and  knows  how  to  behave  himself,  when  he  has  a  mind  to 
Now,  Judge  Temple,  can  you  tell  me  what  has  brought 


THE  PIONEERS.  329 

three  such  men  as  Indian  John,  Natty  Bumppo,  and  Oliver 
Edwards  together  ?  " 

Marmaduke  turned  his  countenance,  in  evident  surprise, 
to  his  cousin,  and  replied  quickly,  — 

"  Thou  hast  unexpectedly  hit  on  a  subject,  Richard,  that 
has  often  occupied  my  mind.  But  knowest  thou  anything 
of  this  mystery,  or  are  they  only  the  crude  conjectures 
of"  — 

"  Crude  nothing,  'Duke,  crude  nothing ;  but  facts,  stub 
born  facts.  You  know  there  are  mines  in  these  mountains ; 
I  have  often  heard  you  say  that  you  believed  in  their  ex 
istence." 

"  Reasoning  from  analogy,  Richard,  but  not  with  any 
certainty  of  the  fact." 

"  You  have  heard  them  mentioned,  and  have  seen  speci 
mens  of  the  ore,  sir  ;  you  will  not  deny  that !  and,  reason 
ing  from  analogy,  as  you  say,  if  there  be  mines  in  South 
America,  ought  there  not  to  be  mines  in  North  America 
too?" 

"  Nay,  nay,  I  deny  nothing,  my  cousin.  I  certainly  have 
heard  many  rumors  of  the  existence  of  mines  in  these  hills  ; 
and  I  do  believe  that  I  have  seen  specimens  of  the  precious 
metals  that  have  been  found  here.  It  would  occasion  me 
no  surprise  to  learn  that  tin  and  silver,  or  what  I  consider 
of  more  consequence,  good  coal "  — 

"  Damn  your  coal,"  cried  the  Sheriff ;  "  who  wants  to  find 
coal  in  these  forests  ?  No,  no,  silver,  'Duke  ;  silver  is  the 
one  thing  needful,  and  silver  is  to  be  found.  But  listen : 
you  are  not  to  be  told  that  the  natives  have  long  known  the 
use  of.  gold  and  silver  ;  now  who  so  likely  to  be  acquainted 
vhere  they  are  to  be  found,  as  the  ancient  inhabitants  of 
u  country"?  I  have  the  best  reasons  for  believing  that 
both  Mohegan  and  the  Leather-Stocking  have  been  privy 
to  the  existence  of  a  mine  in  this  very  mountain,  for  many 
years." 

The  Sheriff  had  now  touched  his  cousin  in  a  sensitive 
tpot ;  and  Marmaduke  lent  a  more  attentive  ear  to  the 
ipeaker,  who,  after  waiting  a  moment,  to  see  the  effect  of 
this  extraordinary  development,  proceeded,  — 


;30  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  have  my  reasons,  and  at  a  proper  time 
,*hall  know  them." 

"  No  time  so  good  as  the  present." 

"  "Well,  well,  be  attentive,"  continued  Richard,  looking 
cautiously  about  him,  to  make  certain  that  no  eavesdropper 
was  hid  in  the  forest,  though  they  were  in  constant  motion. 
"  I  have  seen  Mohegan  and  the  Leather-Stocking,  with  my 
own  eyes  —  and  my  eyes  are  as  good  as  anybody's  eyes  — • 
I  have  seen  them,  I  say,  both  going  up  the  mountain  and 
coming  down  it,  with  spades  and  picks  ;  and  others  have 
seen  them  carrying  things  into  their  hut,  in  a  secret  and 
mysterious  manner,  after  dark.  Do  you  call  this  a  fact  of 
importance  ?  " 

The  Judge  did  not  reply,  but  his  brow  had  contracted, 
with  a  thoughtful  ness  that  he  always  wore  when  much 
interested,  and  his  eyes  rested  on  his  cousin  in  expectation 
of  hearing  more.  Richard  continued,  — 

"  It  was  ore.  Now,  sir,  I  ask  if  you  can  tell  me  who  this 
Mr.  Oliver  Edwards  is,  that  has  made  a  part  of  your  house 
hold  since  Christmas  ?  " 

Marmaduke  again  raised  his  eyes,  but  continued  silent, 
shaking  his  head  in  the  negative. 

"  That  he  is  a  half-breed  we  know,  for  Mohegan  does 
not  scruple  to  call  him  openly  his  kinsman ;  that  he  is  well 
educated  we  know.  But  as  to  his  business  here  —  do  yox? 
remember  that  about  a  month  before  this  young  mac  made 
his  appearance  among  us,  Natty  was  absent  from  home 
several  days  ?  You  do  ;  for  you  inquired  for  him,  as  you 
wanted  some  venison  to  take  to  your  friends,  when  you 
went  for  Bess.  Well,  he  was  not  to  be  found.  Old  John 
was  left  in  tha  hut  alone  ;  and  when  Natty  did  appear, 
although  he  came  on  in  the  night,  he  was  seen  drawing  one 
of  those  jumpers  that  they  carry  their  grain  to  mill  in,  and 
to  take  out  something  with  great  care,  that  he  had  covered 
up  under  his  bearskins.  Now  let  me  ask  you,  Judge  Tem- 
jle,  what  motive  could  induce  a  man  like  the  Leather- 
Stocking  to  make  a  sled,  and  toil  with  a  load  over  these 
mountains,  if  he  had  nothing  but  his  rifle  or  his  ammunitioB 
to  carry  ? ' 


THE  PIONEERS.  331 

"  They  frequently  make  these  jumpers  to  convey  their 
game  home,  and  you  say  he  had  been  absent  many  days." 

"  How  did  he  kill  it  ?  His  rifle  was  in  the  village,  to  be 
mended.  No,  no;  that  he  was  gone  to  some  unusual  place 
is  certain ;  that  he  brought  back  some  secret  utensils  is  more 
certain ;  and  that  he  has  not  allowed  a  soul  to  approach  his 
hut  since,  is  most  certain  of  all." 

"  He  was  never  fond  of  intruders  "  — 

"  I  know  it,"  interrupted  Richard ;  "  but  did  he  drive 
them  from  his  cabin  morosely  ?  Within  a  fortnight  of  his 
return,  this  Mr.  Edwards  appears.  They  spend  whole  days 
in  the  mountains,  pretending  to  be  shooting,  but  in  reality 
exploring  ;  the  frosts  prevent  their  digging  at  that  time,  and 
he  avails  himself  of  a  lucky  accident  to  get  into  good  quar 
ters.  But  even  now,  he  is  quite  half  of  his  time  in  that 
hut  —  many  hours  every  night.  They  are  smelting,  'Duke, 
they  are  smelting,  and  as  they  grow  rich,  you  grow  poor." 

"  How  much  of  this  is  thine  own,  Richard,  and  how  much 
comes  from  others  ?  I  would  sift  the  wheat  from  the  chaff." 

"  Part  is  my  own,  for  I  saw  the  jumper,  though  it  was 
broken  up  and  burnt  in  a  day  or  two.  I  have  told  you  that 
I  saw  the  old  man  with  his  spades  and  picks.  Hiram  met 
Natty,  as  he  was  crossing  the  mountain,  the  night  of  his  ar 
rival  with  the  sled,  and  very  good-naturedly  offered  —  Hiram 
is  good-natured  —  to  carry  up  part  of  his  load,  for  the  old 
man  had  a  heavy  pull  up  the  back  of  the  mountain,  but  he 
wouldn't  listen  to  the  thing,  and  repulsed  the  offer  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  squire  said  he  had  half  a  mind  to  swear 
the  peace  against  him.  Since  the  snow  has  been  off,  more 
especially  after  the  frosts  got  out  of  the  ground,  we  have 
kept  a  watchful  eye  on  the  gentleman,  in  which  we  have 
found  Jotham  useful." 

Marmaduke  did  not  much  like  the  associates  of  Richard 
in  this  business ;  still  he  knew  them  to  be  cunning  and 
ready  in  expedients  ;  and  as  there  was  certainly  something 
mysterious,  not  only  in  the  connection  between  the  old  hunt 
ers  and  Edwards,  but  in  what  his  cousin  had  just  related,  he 
began  to  revolve  tne  subject  in  his  own  mind  with  more  care. 
On  reflection,  he  remembered  various  circumstances  that 


332  THE  PIONEERS. 


tended  to  corroborate  these  suspicions,  and,  as  the  whole 
business  favored  one  of  his  infirmities,  he  yielded  the  more 
readily  to  their  impression.  The  mind  of  Judge  Temple,  al 
all  times  comprehensive,  had  received,  from  his  peculiar 
occupations,  a  bias  to  look  far  into  futurity,  in  his  specula 
tions  on  the  improvements  that  posterity  were  to  make  in 
his  lands.  To  his  eye,  where  others  saw  nothing  but  a 
wilderness,  towns,  manufactories,  bridges,  canals,  mines,  and 
all  the  other  resources  of  an  old  country  were  constantly 
presenting  themselves,  though  his  good  sense  suppressed,  in 
some  degree,  the  exhibition  of  these  expectations. 

As  the  Sheriff  allowed  his  cousin  full  time  to  reflect  on 
what  he  had  heard,  the  probability  of  some  pecuniary  adven 
ture  being  the  connecting  link  in  the  chain  that  brought 
Oliver  Edwards  into  the  cabin  of  Leather-Stocking,  ap 
peared  to  him  each  moment  to  be  stronger.  But  Marma- 
duke  was  too  much  in  the  habit  of  examining  both  sides  of 
a  subject,  not  to  perceive  the  objections,  and  he  reasoned 
with  himself  aloud  :  — 

"  It  cannot  be  so,  or  the  youth  would  not  be  driven  so 
near  the  verge  of  poverty." 

"  What  so  likely  to  make  a  man  dig  for  money,  as  being 
poor  ?  "  cried  the  Sheriff. 

"  Besides,  there  is  an  elevation  of  character  about  Oliver, 
that  proceeds  from  education,  which  would  forbid  so  clan 
destine  a  proceeding." 

"  Could  an  ignorant  fellow  smelt  ?  "  continued  Richard. 

u  Bess  hints  that  he  was  reduced  even  to  his  last  shilling, 
when  we  took  him  into  our  dwelling." 

"  He.  had  been  buying  tools.  And  would  he  spend  his 
last  sixpence  for  a  shot  at  a  turkey,  had  he  not  known 
where  to  get  more  ?  " 

"  Can  I  have  possibly  been  so  long  a  dupe !  His  manner 
has  been  rude  to  me  at  times ;  but  I  attributed  it  to  his 
conceiving  himself  injured,  and  to  his  mistaking  the  forms 
)f  the  world." 

"Haven't  yD-  been  a  dupe  all  your  life,  'Duke?  and 
ain't  what  you  call  ignorance  of  forms  deep  cunning,  to 
conceal  his  real  character  ?  " 


THE  PIONEERS.  888 

*  If  he  were  bent  on  deception,  he  would  have  concealed 
his  knowledge,  and  passed  with  us  for  an  inferior  man," 

"  He  cannot.  I  could  no  more  pass  for  a  fool,  myself, 
than  I  could  fly.  Knowledge  is  not  to  be  concealed,  like  a 
candle  under  a  bushel." 

"  Richard,"  said  the  Judge,  turning  to  his  cousin,  "  there 
are  many  reasons  against  the  truth  of  thy  conjectures ;  but 
thou  hast  awakened  suspicions  which  must  be  satisfied.  Rut 
why  are  we  travelling  here  ?  " 

"  Jothain,  who  has  been  much  in  the  mountain  latterly, 
being  kept  there  by  me  and  Hiram,  has  made  a  discovery, 
which  he  will  not  explain,  he  says,  for  he  is  bound  by  an 
oath ;  but  the  amount  is,  that  he  knows  where  the  ore  lies, 
and  he  has  this  day  begun  to  dig.  I  would  not  consent  to 
the  thing,  'Duke,  without  your  knowledge,  for  the  land  is 
yours ;  and  now  you  know  the  reason  of  our  ride.  I  call 
this  a  countermine,  ha ! " 

"  And  where  is  the  desirable  spot  ? "  asked  the  Judge, 
with  an  air  half  comical,  half  serious. 

"  At  hand ;  and  when  we  have  visited  that,  I  will  show 
you  one  of  the  places  that  we  have  found  within  a  week, 
where  our  hunters  have  been  amusing  themselves  for  six 
months  past." 

The  gentlemen  continued  to  discuss  the  matter,  while 
their  horses  picked  their  way  under  the  branches  of  trees, 
and  over  the  uneven  ground  of  the  mountain.  They  soon 
arrived  at  the  end  of  their  journey,  where,  in  truth,  they 
found  Jotham  already  buried  to  his  neck  in  a  hole  that  he 
had  been  digging. 

Marmaduke  questioned  the  miner  very  closely,  as  to  his 
reasons  for  believing  in  the  existence  of  the  precious  metals 
near  that  particular  spot ;  but  the  fellow  maintained  an  ob- 
ntiuate  mystery  in  his  answers. ,  He  asserted  that  he  had 
the  best  of  reasons  for  what  he  did,  and  inquired  of  tho 
Judge  what  portion  of  the  profits  would  fall  to  his  own 
share,  in  the  event  of  success,  with  an  earnestness  that 
proved  his  faith.  After  spending  an  hour  near  the  place) 
examining  the  stones,  and  searching  for  the  usual  indi 
cations  of  the  proximity  of  ore,  the  Judge  remounted,  and 


834  THE  PIONEERS. 

suffered  his  cousin  to  lead  the  way  to  the  place  where  the 
mysterious  trio  had  been  making  their  excavation. 

The  spot  chosen  by  Jotham  was  on  the  back  of  the 
mountain  that  overhung  the  hut  of  Leather-Stocking,  and 
the  place  selected  by  Natty  and  his  companions  was  on  the 
other  side  of  the  same  hill,  but  above  the  road,  and,  of 
course,  in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  route  taken  by  tho 
ladies  in  their  walk. 

"  We  shall  be  safe  in  approaching  the  place  now,"  said 
Richard,  while  they  dismounted  and  fastened  their  horses ; 
"  for  I  took  a  look  with  the  glass,  and  saw  John  and 
Leather-Stocking,  in  their  canoe  fishing,  before  we  left 
home,  and  Oliver  is  in  the  same  pursuit ;  but  these  may  be 
nothing  but  shams,  to  blind  our  eyes,  so  we  will  be  expe 
ditious,  for  it  would  not  be  pleasant  to  be  caught  here  by 
them." 

"  Not  on  my  own  land ! "  said  Marmaduke  sternly.  "  If 
it  be  as  you  suspect,  I  will  know  their  reasons  for  making 
this  excavation." 

"  Mum,'*  said  Richard,  laying  a  finger  on  his  lip,  and 
leading  the  way  down  a  very  difficult  descent  to  a  sort  of 
natural  cavern,  which  was  found  in  the  face  of  the  rock, 
and  was  not  unlike  a  fire-place  in  shape.  In  front  of  this 
place  lay  a  pile  of  earth,  which  had  evidently  beeu  taken 
from  the  recess,  and  part  of  which  was  yet  fresh.  An* 
examination  of  the  exterior  of  the  cavern  left  the  Judge  in  ' 
doubt  whether  it  was  one  of  nature's  frolics  that  had  thrown 
it  into  that  shape,  or  whether  it  had  been  wrought  by  the 
hands  of  man,  at  some  earlier  period.  But  there  could  be 
no  doubt  that  the  whole  of  the  interior  was  of  recent  for 
mation,  and  the  marks  of  the  pick  were  still  visible,  where 
the  soft,  lead-colored  rock  had  opposed  itself  to  the  progress 
of  the  miners.  The  whole  formed  an  excavation  of  about 
twenty  feet  in  width,  and  nearly  twice  that  distance  in  depth. 
Tho  height  was  much  greater  than  was  required  for  tho 
ordinary  purposes  of  experiment ;  but  this  was  evidently  the 
effect  of  chance,  as  the  roof  of  the  cavern  was  a  natural 
stratum  of  rock,  that  projected  many  feet  beyond  the  base 
if  the  pile.  Immediately  in  front  of  the  recess,  or  cave. 


THE  PIONEERS.  335 

iras  a  little  terrace,  partly  formed  by  nature,  and  partly  by 
the  earth  that  had  been  carelessly  thrown  aside  by  the 
laborers.  The  mountain  fell  off  precipitously  in  front  of 
the  terrace,  and  the  approach  by  its  sides,  under  the  ridge 
of  the  rocks,  was  difficult  and  a  little  dangerous.  The 
whole  was  wild,  rude,  and  apparently  incomplete  :  for,  while 
looking  among  the  bushes,  the  Sheriff  found  the  very  imple 
ments  that  had  been  used  in  the  work. 

When  the  Sheriff  thought  that  his  cousin  had  examined 
the  spot  sufficiently,  he  asked  solemnly,  — 

"  Judge  Temple,  are  you  satisfied  ?  " 

"  Perfectly,  that  there  is  something  mysterious  and  per 
plexing  in  this  business.  It  is  a  secret  spot  and  cunningly 
devised,  Richard  ;  yet  I  see  no  symptoms  of  ore." 

"  Do  you  expect,  sir,  to  find  gold  and  silver  lying  like 
pebbles  on  the  surface  of  the  earth  ?  —  dollars  and  dimes 
ready  coined  to  your  hands  !  No,  no  —  the  treasure  must 
be  sought  after  to  be  won.  But  let  them  mine ;  I  shall 
countermine." 

The  Judge  took  an  accurate  survey  of  the  place,  and 
noted  in  his  memorandum  book  such  marks  as  were  neces 
sary  to  find  it  again,  in  the  event  of  Richard's  absence ; 
when  the  cousins  returned  to  their  horses. 

On  reaching  the  highway  they  separated,  the  Sheriff  to 
summon  twenty-four  "  good  men  and  true,"  to  attend  as  the 
inquest  of  the  county,  on  the  succeeding  Monday,  when 
Marmaduke  held  his  stated  court  of  "common  pleas  and 
general  sessions  of  the  peace,"  and  the  Judge  to  return, 
musing  deeply  on  what  he  had  seen  and  heard  in  the  course 
of  the  morning. 

When  the  horse  of  the  latter  reached  the  spot  where 
the  highway  fell  towards  the  valley,  the  eye  of  Marmaduke 
rested,  it  is  true,  on  the  same  sce*ie  that  had,  ten  minutes 
before,  been  so  soothing  to  the  feelings  of  his  daughter  and 
her  friend  as  they  emerged  from  the  forest ;  but  it  rested 
in  vacancy.  He  threw  the  reins  to  his  sure-footed  beast, 
and  suffered  the  animal  to  travel  at  its  own  gait,  while  he 
•oliloquized  as  follows :  — 

*  There  may  be  more  in  this  than  I  at  first  supposed 


886  THE  PIONEERS. 

I  have  suffered  my  feeling  to  blind  my  reason,  in  admitting 
an  unknown  youth  in  this  manner  co  my  dwelling ;  yet  this 
is  not  the  land  of  suspicion.  I  will  have  the  Leather- 
Stocking  before  me,  and,  by  a  few  direct  questions,  extract 
the  truth  from  the  simple  old  man." 

At  that  instant  the  Judge  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  figures 
of  Elizabeth  and  Louisa,  who  were  slowly  descending  the 
mountain,  a  short  distance  before  him.  He  put  spurs  to 
his  horse,  and  riding  up  to  them,  dismounted,  and  drove  his 
steed  along  the  narrow  path.  While  the  agitated  parent 
was  listening  to  the  vivid  description  that  his  daughter 
gave  of  her  recent  danger,  and  her  unexpected  escape,  all 
thoughts  of  mines,  vested  rights,  and  examinations,  were 
absorbed  in  emotion ;  and  when  the  image  of  Natty  again 
crossed  his  recollection,  it  was  not  as  a  lawless  and  depie- 
dutwg  squatter,  but  as  the  preserver  of  his  child. 


THE  PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

The  court  awards  it,  and  the  law  doth  give  it 

MEUCHA2TT  OF  VE3CICB. 

REMARKABLE  PETTIBONE,  who  had  forgotten  the  wound 
received  by  her  pride,  in  contemplation  of  the  ease  and 
comforts  of  her  situation,  and  who  still  retained  her  station 
in  the  family  of  Judge  Temple,  was  despatched  to  the 
humble  dwelling  which  Richard  already  styled  the  Rectory, 
in  attendance  on  Louisa,  who  was  soon  consigned  to  tho 
arms  of  her  father. 

In  the  mean  time,  Marmaduke  and  his  daughter  were 
closeted  for  more  than  an  hour,  nor  shall  we  invade  the 
sanctuary  of  parental  love,  by  relating  the  conversation. 
When  the  curtain  rises  on  the  reader,  the  Judge  is  seen 
walking  up  and  down  the  apartment,  with  a  tender  melan 
choly  in  his  air,  and  his  child  reclining  on  a  settee,  with  a 
flushed  cheek,  and  her  dark  eyes  seeming  to  float  in  crystals. 

"  It  was  a  timely  rescue !  it  was,  indeed,  a  timely  rescue, 
my  child ! "  cried  the  Judge.  "  Then  thou  didst  not  desert 
thy  friend,  my  noble  Bess  ?  " 

"  I  believe  I  may  as  well  take  the  credit  of  fortitude,'1 
.said  Elizabeth,  "  though  I  much  doubt  if  flight  would  have 
availed  me  anything,  had  I  even  courage  to  execute  such  an 
intention.  But  I  thought  not  of  the  expedient." 

"  Of  what  didst  thou  think,  love  ?  where  did  thy  thoughts 
dwell  most,  at  that  fearful  moment  ?  " 

"  The  beast !  the  beast !  "  cried  Elizabeth,  veiling  her 
face  with  her  hand  :  "  O  !  I  saw  nothing,  I  thought  of 
nothing  but  the  beast.  I  tried  to  think  of  better  things, 
but  the  horror  was  too  glaring,  the  danger  too  much  before 
my  eyes." 

"  Well,  well,  thou  art  safe,  and  we  will  converse  no  mo** 
22 


888  THE   PIONEERS. 

on  the  unpleasant  subject.  I  did  not  think  such  an  animal 
yet  remained  in  our  forests ;  but  they  will  stray  far  from 
their  haunts  when  pressed  by  hunger,  and  "  — 

A  loud  knocking  at  the  door  of  the  apartment  inter 
rupted  what  he  was  about  to  utter,  and  he  bid  the  applicant 
enter.  The  door  was  opened  by  Benjamin,  who  came  in 
with  a  discontented  air,  as  if  he  felt  that  he  had  a  commu 
nication  to  make  that  would  be  out  of  season. 

"  Here  is  Squire  Doolittle  below,  sir,"  commenced  the 
major-domo.  "  He  has  been  standing  off  and  on  in  the 
door-yard,  for  the  matter  of  a  glass ;  and  he  has  sum'mat 
on  his  mind  that  he  wants  to  heave  up,  d'ye  see ;  but  I 
tells  him,  says  I,  *  Man,  would  you  be  coming  aboard  with 
your  complaints,'  said  I,  '  when  the  Judge  has  gotten  his  own 
child,  as  it  were,  out  of  the  jaws  of  a  lion  ? '  but  damn  the 
bit  of  manners  has  the  fellow,  any  more  than  if  he  was  one 
of  them  Guineas  down  in  the  kitchen  there ;  and  so  as  he 
was  sheering  nearer,  every  stretch  he  made,  towards  the 
house,  I  could  do  no  better  than  to  let  your  honor  know 
that  the  chap  was  in  the  offing." 

"  He  must  have  business  of  importance,"  said  Marma- 
duke ;  "  something  in  relation  to  his  office,  most  probably, 
as  the  court  sits  so  shortly." 

"  Aye,  aye,  you  have  it,  sir,"  cried  Benjamin,  "  it's 
Bum'mat  about  a  complaint  that  he  has  to  make  of  the  old 
Leather-Stocking,  who,  to  my  judgment,  is  the  better  man 
of  the  two.  It's  a  very  good  sort  of  a  man  is  this  Master 
Bumppo,  and  he  has  a  way  with  a  spear,  all  the  same  as  if 
he  was  brought  up  at  the  bow  oar  of  the  captain's  barge,  or 
was  born  with  a  boat-hook  in  his  hand." 

"Against  the  Leather-Stocking !"  cried  Elizabeth,  rising 
from  her  reclining  posture. 

"  Rest  easy,  my  child ;  some  trifle,  I  pledge  you  :  I  be- 
iisve  I  am  already  acquainted  with  its  import.  Trust  me, 
Bess,  your  champion  shall  be  safe  in  my  care.  Show  Mr 
Doolittle  in,  Benjamin." 

Miss  Temple  appeared  satisfied  with  this  assurance,  but 
fastened  her  dark  eyes  on  the  person  of  the  architect,  whe 
profited  by  the  permission,  and  instantly  made  his  appear 
ance. 


THE  PIONEERS  839 

AJ1  the  impatience  of  Hiram  seemed  to  vanish  the  instant 
he  entered  the  apartment.  After  saluting  the  Judge  and 
his  daughter,  he  took  the  chair  to  which  Marmaduke 
pointed,  and  sat  for  a  minute,  composing  his  straight  black 
hairy  with  a  gravity  of  demeanor  that  was  intended  to  do 
honor  to  his  official  station.  At  length  he  said,  — 

"  It's  likely,  from  what  I  hear,  that  Miss  Temple  Jiad  a 
pretty  narrow  chance  with  the  painters,  on  the  mountain." 

Marmaduke  made  a  gentle  inclination  of  his  head,  by  way 
of  assent,  but  continued  silent. 

"  I  s'pose  the  law  gives  a  bounty  on  the  scalps,"  contin 
ued  Hiram,  "  in  which  case  the  Leather-Stocking  will  make 
a  good  job  on't." 

"  It  shall  be  my  care  to  see  that  he  is  rewarded,"  returned 
the  Judge. 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  rather  guess  that  nobody  hereabouts  doubts 
tlie  Judge's  generosity.  Does  he  know  whether  the  Sheriff 
has  fairly  made  up  his  mind  to  have  a  reading-desk  or  a 
deacon's  pew  under  the  pulpit  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  heard  my  cousin  speak  on  that  subject, 
lately,"  replied  Marmaduke. 

"  I  think  it's  likely  that  we  will  have  a  pretty  dull  court 
on't,  from  what  I  can  gather.  I  hear  that  Jotham  Riddel 
and  the  man  who  bought  his  betterments,  have  agreed  to 
leave  their  difference  to  men,  and  I  don't  think  there'll  be 
more  than  two  civil  cases  in  the  calendar." 

u  I  am  glad  of  it,"  said  the  Judge ;  "  nothing  gives  me 
more  pain  than  to  see  my  settlers  wasting  their  time  and 
substance  in  the  unprofitable  struggles  of  the  law.  I  hope 
it  may  prove  true,  sir." 

"  I  rather  guess  'twill  be  left  out  to  men,"  added  Hiram, 
with  an  air  equally  balanced  between  doubt  and  assurance, 
but  which  Judge  Temple  understood  to  mean  certainty  ;  "  I 
some  think  that  I  am  appointed  a  referee  in  the  case  my 
self ;  Jotham  as  much  as  told  me  that  he  should  take  me. 
The  defendant,  I  guess,  means  to  take  -Captain  Hollister, 
and  we  two  have  partly  agreed  on  Squire  Jones  for  the 
third  man." 

"  Are  there  any  criminals  U  be  tried  ? "  asked  Marina- 
fake. 


840  THE  PIONEERS. 

« There's  the  counterfeiters,"   returned  the  magistrate 
"  as  they  were  caught  in   the  fact,  I   think  it  likely  that 
they'll  be   indicted,  in  which  case  it's  probable  they'll  be 
tried." 

"  Certainly,  sir,  I  had  forgotten  those  men.  There  are 
no  more,  I  hope." 

«  Why,  there  is  a  threaten  to  come  forrad  with  an  assault, 
fehat  liappened  at  the  last  Independence  Day ;  but  I'm  not 
sartain  that  the  law'll  take  hold  on't.  There  was  plagucy 
hard  words  passed,  but  whether  they  struck  or  not  I  haven't 
heard.  There's  some  folks  talk  of  a  deer  or  two  being 
killed  out  of  season,  over  on  the  west  side  of  the  Patent, 
by  some  of  the  squatters  on  the  *  Fractions.' " 

"  Let  a  complaint  be  made,  by  all  means,"  cried  the 
Judge,  "  I  am  determined  to  see  the  law  executed  to  the 
letter,  on  all  such  depredators." 

"  Why,  yes,  I  thought  the  Judge  was  of  that  mind ;  I 
come  partly  on  such  a  business  myself." 

"  You !  "  exclaimed  Marmaduke,  comprehending  in  an 
instant  how  completely  he  had  been  caught  by  the  other's 
cunning ;  "  and  what  have  you  to  say,  sir  ?  " 

"  I  some  think  that  Natty  Bumppo  has  the  carcass  of  a 
deer  in  his  hut  at  this  moment,  and  a  considerable  part  of 
my  business  was  to  get  a  search-warrant  to  examine." 

"  You  think,  sir !  do  you  know  that  the  law  exacts  an 
oath,  before  I  can  issue  such  a  precept  ?  The  habitation 
of  a  citizen  is  not  to  be  idly  invaded  on  light  suspicion." 

"  I  rather  think  I  can  swear  to  it  myself,"  returned  the 
immovable  Hiram ;  "  and  Jotham  is  in  the  street,  and  as 
good  as  ready  to  come  in  and  make  oath  to  the  same 
thing." 

u  Then  issue  the  warrant  thyself ;  thou  art  a  magistrate, 
Mr.  Doolittle ;  why  trouble  me  with  the  matter  ?  " 

u  Why,  seeing  it's  the  first  complaint  under  the  law,  and 
knowing  the  Judge  set  his  heart  on  the  thing,  I  thought  it 
best  that  the  authority  to  search  should  come  from  himself, 
Besides,  as  I'm  much  in  the  woods,  among  the  timber,  I 
don't  altogether  like  making  an  enemy  of  the  Leather- 
Stocking.  Now  the  Judge  has  a  weight  in  the  county 
that  puts  h'm  abovn  fear  " 


THE  PIONEERS.  841 

Bliss  Temple  turned  her  face  to  the  callous  architect,  aa 
ihe  said, — 

"  And  what  has  any  honest  person  to  dread  from  so  kind 
a  man  as  Bumppo  ?  " 

"  Why,  it's  as  easy,  Miss,  to  pull  a  rifle-trigger  on  a  mag 
istrate  as  on  a  painter.  But  if  the  Judge  don't  conclude 
10  issue  tL  £  warrant,  I  must  go  home  and  make  it  out  my  • 
self." 

"  I  have  not  refised  your  application,  sir,"  said  Manna- 
duke,  perceiving  at  OL'ce  that  his  reputation  for  impartiality 
was  at  stake ;  "  go  into  my  office,  Mr.  Doolittle,  where  I 
will  join  you,  and  sign  the  warrant." 

Judge  Temple  stopped  the  remonstrances  which  Eliza 
beth  was  about  to  utter,  after  Hiram  had  withdrawn,  by 
laying  his  hand  on  her  mouth,  and  saying, — 

"  It  is  more  terrific  in  sound  than  frightful  in  reality, 
my  child.  I  suppose  that  the  Leather- Stocking  has  shot  a 
deer,  for  the  season  is  nearly  over,  and  you  say  that  he  was 
hunting  with  his  dogs  when  he  came  so  timely  to  your  as 
sistance.  But  it  will  be  only  to  examine  his  cabin,  and 
find  the  animal,  when  you  can  pay  the  penalty  out  of  your 
own  pocket,  Bess.  Nothing  short  of  the  twelve  dollars  and 
a  half  will  satisfy  this  harpy,  I  perceive ;  and  surely  my 
reputation  as  a  Judge  is  worth  that  trifle." 

Elizabeth  was  a  good  deal  pacified  with  this  assurance, 
and  suffered  her  father  to  leave  her,  to  fulfill  his  promise  to 
Hiram. 

When  Marmaduke  left  his  office,  after  executing  his  dis 
agreeable  duty,  he  met  Oliver  Edwards,  walking  up  the 
graveled  walk  in  front  of  the  Mansion-house,  with  great 
strides,  and  with  a  face  agitated  by  feeling.  On  seeing 
Judge  Temple,  the  youth  turned  aside,  and  with  a  warmth 
in  his  manner  that  was  not  often  exhibited  to  Marmaduke, 
he  cried, — 

"  I  congratulate  you,  sir ;  from  the  bottom  of  my  soul  I 
congratulate  you,  Judge  Temple.  O !  it  would  have  been 
too  horrid  to  have  recollected  for  a  moment !  I  have  just 
left  the  hut,  where,  after  showing  me  his  scalps,  old  Nattj 
told  me  of  the  escape  of  the  ladies,  as  a  thing  to  be  men 


342  THE  PIONEERS. 

tioned  last.  Indeed,  indeed,  sir,  no  words  of  mil  a  can  ex 
press  half  of  what  I  have  felt "  —  the  youth  paused  a 
moment,  as  if  suddenly  recollecting  that  he  was  overstep 
ping  prescribed  limits,  and  concluded  with  a  good  deal  of 
embarrassment  —  '  what  I  have  felt  at  this  danger  to  Miss 
—  Grant,  and  —  and  your  daughter,  sir." 

But  the  heart  of  Marmaduke  was  too  much  softened  to 
admit  of  his  caviling  at  trifles,  and  without  regarding  the 
confusion  of  the  other,  he  replied,  — 

"  I  thank  thee,  thank  thee,  Oliver ;  as  thou  sayest,  it  is 
almost  too  horrid  to  be  remembered.  But  come,  let  us 
hasten  to  Bess,  for  Louisa  has  already  gone  to  the  Rec 
tory." 

The  young  man  sprang  forward,  and  throwing  open  a 
door,  barely  permitted  the  Judge  to  precede  him,  when  he 
was  in  the  presence  of  Elizabeth  in  a  moment. 

The  cold  distance  that  often  crossed  the  demeanor  of  the 
heiress,  in  her  intercourse  with  Edwards,  was  now  entirely 
banished,  and  two  hours  were  passed  by  the  party,  in  the 
free,  unembarrassed,  and  confiding  manner  of  old  and  es 
teemed  friends.  Judge  Temple  had  forgotten  the  suspicions 
engendered  during  his  morning's  ride,  and  the  youth  and 
maiden  conversed,  laughed,  and  were  sad  by  turns,  as  im 
pulse  directed.  At  length  Edwards,  after  repeating  hia 
intention  to  do  so  for  the  third  time,  left  the  Mansion-house 
to  go  to  the  Rectory  on  a  similar  errand  of  friendship. 

During  this  short  period,  a  scene  was  passing  at  the  hut 
that  completely  frustrated  the  benevolent  intentions  of 
Judge  Temple  in  favor  of  the  Leather-Stocking,  and  at 
once  destroyed  the  short-lived  harmony  between  the  youth 
and  Marmaduke. 

When  Hiram  Doolittle  had  obtained  his  search-warrant, 
his  first  business  was  to  procure  a  proper  officer  to  see  it 
executed.  The  Sheriff  was  absent,  summoning  in  person 
the  grand  inquest  for  the  county  ;  the  deputy,  who  resided 
in  the  village,  was  riding  on  the  sanie  errand,  in  a  different 
part  of  the  settlement ;  and  the  regular  constable  of  the 
township  had  been  selected  for  his  station  from  motives  of 
charity,  being  lame  of  a  leg.  Hiram  intended  to  accom 


THE  PIONEERS.  843 

pany  the  officer  as  a  spectator,  but  he  felt  no  very  strong 
desire  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the  battle.  It  was,  however, 
Saturday,  and  the  sun  was  already  turning  the  shadows  of 
the  pines  towards  the  east ;  on  the  morrow  the  conscien 
tious  magistrate  could  not  engage  in  such  an  expedition,  at 
the  peril  of  his  soul ;  and  long  before  Monday,  the  venison, 
and  all  vestiges  of  tlw  death  of  the  deer,  might  be  secreted 
or  destroyed.  Happily,  the  lounging  form  of  Billy  Kirby 

et  his  eye,  and  Hiram,  at  all  times  fruitful  in  similar  ex 
pedients,  saw  his  way  clear  at  once.  Jotham,  who  was 
associated  in  the  whole  business,  and  who  had  left  the 
mountain  in  consequence  of  a  summons  from  his  coadjutor, 
but  who  failed,  equally  with  Hiram,  in  the  unfortunate  par 
ticular  of  nerve,  was  directed  to  summon  the  wood-chopper 
to  the  dwelling  of  the  magistrate. 

When  Billy  appeared,  he  was  verj  kindly  invited  t» 
take  the  chair  in  which  he  had  already  seated  himself,  and 
was  treated  in  all  respects  as  if  he  were  an  equal. 

"  Judge  Temple  has  set  his  heart  on  putting  the  deer 
law  in  force,"  said  Hiram,  after  the  preliminary  civilities 
were  over,  "  and  a  complaint  has  been  laid  before  him  that 
a  deer  has  been  killed.  He  has  issued  a  search-warrant, 
and  sent  for  me  to  get  somebody  to  execute  it." 

Kirby,  who  had  no  idea  of  being  excluded  from  the  de 
liberative  part  of  any  affair  in  which  he  was  engaged,  drew 
up  his  bushy  head  in  a  reflecting  attitude,  and,  after  musing 
a  moment,  replied  by  asking  a  few  questions. 

"  The  Sheriff  is  gone  out  of  the  way  ?  " 

"Not  to  be  found." 

"  And  his  deputy  too  ?  " 

"  Both  gone  on  the  skirts  of  the  Patent." 

"  But  I-  saw  the  constable  hobbling  about  town  an  hour 
ago." 

tt  Yes,  yes,"  said  Hiram,  with  a  coaxing  smile  and  know 
ing  nod,  "  but  this  business  wants  a  man  —  not  a  cripple." 

"  Why,"  said  Billy,  laughing,  "will  the  chap  make 
fight?" 

"  He's  a  little  quarrelsome  at  times,  and  thinks  he's  the 
best  man  in  the  country  at  rough  and  tumble." 


844  THE  PIONEERS. 

u  I  heard  him  "brag  once,"  said  Jotham,  "  that  there  wasn  I 
a  man  'twixt  the  Mohawk  Flats  and  the  Penusylvany  line 
that  was  his  match  at  a  close  hug." 

"  Did  you  ?  "  exclaimed  Kirby,  raising  his  huge  frame  in 
his  seat,  like  a  lion  stretching  in  his  lair;  "  I  rather  guess  he 
never  felt  a  Varmounter's  knuckles  on  his  backbone.  But 
who  is  the  chap  ?  " 

"  Why,"  said  Jotham,  "  it's  "  — 

"  It's  agin  law  to  tell,"  interrupted  Hiram,  "  unless  you'll 
qualify  to  sarve.  You'd  be  the  very  man  to  take  him,  Bill ; 
and  I'll  make  out  a  special  deputation  in  a  minute,  when 
you  will  get  the  fees." 

"  What's  the  fees  ?  "  said  Kirby,  laying  his  large  hand 
on  the  leaves  of  a  statute-book,  that  Hiram  had  opened  in 
order  to  give  dignity  to  his-  office,  which  he  turned  over,  in 
his  rough  manner,  as  if  he  were  reflecting  on  a  subject  about 
which  he  had,  in  truth,  already  decided ;  "  will  they  pay  a 
man  for  a  broken  head  ?  " 

"  They'll  be  something  handsome,"  said  Hiram. 

"  Damn  the  fees,"  said  Billy,  again  laughing :  "  does  the 
fellow  think  he's  the  best  wrestler  in  the  county,  though  ? 
what's  his  inches  ?  " 

"  He's  taller  than  you  be,"  said  Jotham,  "  and  one  of  the 
biggest "  — 

Talkers,  he  was  about  to  add,  but  the  impatience  of  Kirby 
interrupted  him.  The  wood-chopper  had  nothing  fierce  or 
even  brutal  in  his  appearance  ;  the  character  of  his  expres 
sion  was  that  of  good-natured  vanity.  It  was  evident  he/ 
prided  himself  on  the  powers  of  the  physical  man,  like  all 
who  have  nothing  better  to  boast  of;  and,  stretching  out 
his  broad  hand,  with  the  palm  downwards,  he  said,  keeping 
his  eyes  fastened  on  his  own  bones  and  sinews, — 

"  Come,  give  us  a  touch  of  the  book.  I'll  swear,  and 
j  )u'll  see  that  I'm  a  man  to  keep  my  oath." 

Hiram  did  not  give  the  wood-chopper  time  to  change  hia 
miLd,  but  the  oath  was  administered  without  unnecessary 
delay.  So  soon  as  this  preliminary  was  completed,  the 
three  worthies  left  the  house,  and  proceeded  by  the  nearest 
road  towards  the  hut.  They  had  reached  the  bank  of  thi 


THE  PIONEERS.  345 

and  \vere  diverging  from  the  route  of  the  highway, 
before  Kirby  recollected  that  he  was  now  entitled  to  the 
privilege  of  the  initiated,  and  repeated  his  question  as  to  the 
name  of  the  offender. 

"Which  way,  which  way,  squire?"  exclaimed  the  hardy 
wood-chopper ;  "  I  thought  it  was  to  search  a  house  that 
you  wanted  me,  not  the  woods.  There  is  nobody  lives  on 
this  side  of  the  lake,  for  six  miles,  unless  you  count  the 
Leather-Stocking  and  old  John  for  settlers.  Come,  tell 
me  the  chap's  name,  and  I  warrant  me  that  I  lead  you  to 
his  clearing  by  a  straighter  path  than  this,  for  I  know 
every  sapling  that  grows  within  two  miles  of  Temple- 
town." 

"This  is  the  way,"  said  Hiram,  pointing  forward,  and 
quickening  his  step,  as  if  apprehensive  that  Kirby  would 
desert,  "  and  Bumppo  is  the  man." 

Kirby  stopped  short,  and  looked  from  one  of  his  com 
panions  to  the  other  in  astonishment.  He  then  burst  into 
a  loud  laugh,  and  cried,  — 

"  Who  ?  Leather-Stocking !  he  may  brag  of  his  aim  and 
his  rifle,  for  he  has  the  best  of  both,  as  I  will  own  myself, 
for  sin'  he  shot  the  pigeon  I  knock  under  to  him ;  but  for  a 
wrestle !  why,  I  would  take  the  creatur*  between  my  finger 
and  thumb,  and  tie  him  in  a  bow-knot  around  my  neck 
for  a  Barcelony.  The  man  is  seventy,  and  was  never  any 
thing  particular  for  strength." 

"  He's  a  deceiving  man,"  said  Hiram,  "  like  all  the  hunt 
ers  ;  he  is  stronger  than  he  seems  ;  besides,  he  has  hi* 
rifle." 

"  That  for  his  rifle  ! "  cried  Billy :  "  he'd  no  more  hurt 
me  with  his  rifle  than  he'd  fly.  He  is  a  harmless  creator*, 
dnd  I  must  say  that  I  think  he  has  as  good  right  to  kill  deer 
as  any  man  on  the  Patent.  It's  his  main  support,  and  this 
js  a  free  country,  where  a  man  is  privileged  to  follow  any 
calling  he  likes." 

"  According  to  that  doctrine,"  said  Jotham,  "  anybody  may 
khoot  a  deer." 

"  This  is  the  man's  calling,  I  tell  you,"  returned  Kiiby, 
*  and  the  law  was  never  made  for  such  as  he." 


846  THE   PIONEERS. 

*  The  law  was  made  for  all,"  observed  Hiram,  who  began 
to  think  that  the  danger  was  likely  to  fall  to  his  own  share, 
notwithstanding  his  management ;  "  and  the  law  is  particular 
in  noticing  parjury." 

"  See  here,  Squire  Doolittle,"  said  the  reckless  wood- 
chopper  ;  "  I  don't  care  the  valie  of  a  beetle-ring  for  you  anct 
your  parjury  too.  But  as  I  have  come  so  far,  I'll  go  clown 
and  have  a  talk  with  the  old  man,  and  maybe  we'll  fry  a 
steak  of  the  deer  together." 

"  Well,  if  you  can  get  in  peaceably,  so  much  the  better," 
said  the  magistrate.  "  To  my  notion,  strife  is  very  unpop 
ular  ;  I  prefar,  at  all  times,  clever  conduct  to  an  ugly 
temper."  • 

As  the  whole  party  moved  at  a  great  pace,  they  soon 
reached  the  hut,  where  Hiram  thought  it  prudent  to  halt  on 
the  outside  of  the  top  of  the  fallen  pine,  which  formed  a 
chevaux-de-frise,  to  defend  the  approach  to  the  fortress,  on 
the  side  next  the  village.  The  delay  was  little  relished  by 
Kirby,  who  clapped  his  hands  to  his  mouth,  and  gave  a  loud 
halloo  that  brought  the  dogs  out  of  their  kennel  and,  almost 
at  the  same  instant,  the  scantily  covered  head  of  Natty  from 
the  door. 

"  Lie  down,  old  fool,"  cried  the  hunter ;  "  do  you  think 
there's  more  painters  about  you  ?  " 

"  Ha !  Leather-Stocking,  I've  an  arrand  with  you," 
cried  Kirby ;  "  here's  the  good  people  of  the  State  have 
been  writing  you  a  small  letter,  and  they've  hired  me  to 
ride  post." 

"  What  would  you  have  with  me,  Billy  Kirby  ? "  said 
Natty,  stepping  across  his  threshold,  and  raising  his  hand 
over  his  eyes  to  screen  them  from  the  rays  of  the  setting 
sun;  while  he  took  a  survey  of  his  visitor.  "  I've  no  land 
to  clear :  and  Heaven  knows  I  would  set  out  six  trees  afore 
I  would  cut  down  one.  Down,  Hector,  I  say ;  into  your 
kennel  with  ye." 

"Would  you,  old  boy?"  roared  Billy;  "then  so  much 
the  better  for  me.  But  I  must  do  my  arrand.  Here's  a 
letter  for  you,  Leather-Stocking.  If  you  can  read  it,  it'l 
all  well,  and  if  you  can't,  here's  Squire  Doolittle  at  hand,  to 


THE  PIONEERS.  347 

let  yon  know  what  it  means.  It  seems  you  mistook  the 
twentieth  of  July  for  the  first  of  August,  that's  all." 

By  this  time  Natty  had  discovered  the  lank  person  of 
Hiram,  drawn  up  under  the  cover  of  a  high  stump  ;  and  all 
that  was  complacent  in  his  manner  instantly  gave  way  to 
marked  distrust  and  dissatisfaction.  He  placed  his  hes»d 
within  the  door  of  his  hut,  and  said  a  few  words  in  an  under 
tone,  when  he  again  appeared,  and  continued,  — 

"  I've  nothing  for  ye ;  so  away,  afore  the  evil  one  tempta 
me  to  do  you  harm.  I  owe  you  no  spite,  Billy  Kirby,  and 
what  for  should  you  trouble  an  old  man,  who  has  done  you 
no  harm  ?  " 

Kirby  advanced  through  the  top  of  the  pine,  to  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  hunter,  where  he  seated  himself  on  the  end 
of  a  log  with  great  composure,  and  began  to  examine  the 
nose  of  Hector,  with  whom  he  was  familiar,  from  their  fre 
quently  meeting  in  the  woods,  where  he  sometimes  fed  the 
dog  from  his  own  basket  of  provisions. 

"  You've  outshot  me,  and  I'm  not  ashamed  to  say  it,"  said 
the  wood-chopper ;  "  but  I  don't  owe  you  a  grudge  for  that, 
Natty !  though  it  seems  that  you've  shot  once  too  often,  for 
the  story  goes  that  you've  killed  a  buck." 

"  I've  fired  but  twice  to-day,  and  both  times  at  the 
painters,"  returned  the  Leather-Stocking;  "see,  here  are 
the  scalps !  I  was  just  going  in  with  them  to  the  Judge's  to 
ask  the  bounty." 

While  Natty  was  speaking,  he  tossed  the  ears  to  Kirby, 
who  continued  playing  with  them,  with  a  careless  air,  hold 
ing  them  to  the  dogs,  and  laughing  at  their  movements 
when  they  scented  the  unusual  game. 

But  Hiram,  emboldened  by  the  advance  of  the  deputed 
constable,  now  ventured  to  approach  also,  and  took  up  the 
discourse  with  the  air  of  authority  that  became  his  commis 
sion.  His  first  measure  was  to  read  the  warrant  aloud, 
taking  care  to  give  due  emphasis  to  the  most  material  parts, 
and  concluding  with  the  name  of  the  Judge  in  very  audible 
and  distinct  tones. 

"  Did  Marmaduke  Temple  put  his  name  to  that  bit  of 
paper?  '  said  Natty,  shaking  his  head ;  "  well,  well,  that 


848  THE  PIONEERS. 

man  loves  the  new  ways,  and  his  betterments,  and  his  lands, 
afore  his  own  flesh  and  blood.  But  I  won't  mistrust  the 
gal :  r,he  has  an  eye  like  a  full-grown  buck !  poor  thing,  she 
didn't  choose  her  father,  and  can't  help  it.  I  know  but 
little  of  the  law,  Mr.  Doolittle ;  what  is  to  be  done,  now 
you've  read  your  commission  ?  " 

"  O  !  it's  nothing  but  form,  Natty,"  said  Hiram,  endeavor 
ing  to  assume  a  friendly  aspect.  "  Let's  go  in,  and  talk  the 
thing  over  in  reason ;  I  dare  to  say  that  the  money  can  be 
easily  found,  and  I  partly  conclude,  from  what  passed,  that 
Judge  Temple  will  pay  it  himself." 

The  old  hunter  had  kept  a  keen  eye  on  the  movements 
of  his  three  visitors,  from  the  beginning,  and  had  maintained 
his"  position,  just  without  the  threshold  of  his  cabin,  with  a 
ieterniined  manner,  that  showed  he  was  not  to  be  easily 
driven  from  his  post  When  Hiram  drew  nigher,  as  if 
expecting  his  proposition  would  be  accepted,  Natty  lifted 
his  hand,  and  motioned  for  him  to  retreat. 

"  Haven't  I  told  you  more  than  once,  not  to  tempt  me  ?  " 
he  said.  "  I  trouble  no  man  ;  why  can't  the  law  leave  me 
to  myself?  Go  back  —  go  back,  and  tell  your  Judge  that 
he  may  keep  his  bounty ;  but  I  won't  have  his  wasty  ways 
brought  into  my  hut." 

This  offer,  however,  instead  of  appeasing  the  curiosity 
of  Hiram,  seemed  to  inflame  it  the  more ;  while  Kirby 
cried,  — 

"  Well,  that's  fair,  squire ;  he  forgives  the  county  his 
demand,  and  the  county  should  forgive  him  the  fine ;  itf 
what  I  call  an  even  trade,  and  should  be  concluded  on  the 
spot.  I  like  quick  dealings,  and  what's  fair  'twixt  man  and 
man." 

"  I  demand  entrance  into  this  house,"  said  Hiram,  sum 
moning  all  the  dignity  he  could  muster  to  his  assistance. 
••  in  the  name  of  the  people;  and  by  virtue  of  this  warrant, 
Hiid  of  my  office,  and  with  this  peace  officer." 

~  Stand  back,  stand  back,  squire,  and  don't  tempt  me," 
said  the  Leather-Stocking,  motioning  for  him  to  retire,  witf 
great  earnestness. 

"  Stop    us  at    your  peril,"  continued    Hiram.     "  Bill/ 
Jotham  !  close  uo  —  I  want  testimony." 


Stand  off,  I  bid  ye,'  said  Natty."     Page  349. 


THE  PIONEERS.  349 

Hiram 'had  mistaken  the  mild  but  determined  air  of  Natty 
for  submission,  and  had  already  put  his  foot  on  the  threshold 
to  enter,  when  he  was  seized  unexpectedly  by  his  shoulders, 
and  hurled  over  the  little  bank  towards  the  lake,  to  the  dis 
tance  of  twenty  feet.  The  suddenness  of  the  movement, 
and  tho  unexpected  display  of  strength  on  the  part  of  Natty, 
created  a  momentary  astonishment  in  his  invaders,  that 
silenced  all  noises  ;  but  at  the  next  instant  Billy  Kirby  gave 
vent  to  his  mirth  in  peals  of  laughter,  that  he  seemed  to 
heave  up  from  his  very  soul. 

"  Well  done,  old  stub ! "  he  shouted :  "  the  squire 
knowed  you  better  than  I  did.  Come,  come,  here's  a  green 
spot ;  take  it  out  like  men,  while  Jotham  and  I  see  fair 
play." 

"  William  Kirby,  I  order  you  to  do  your  duty,"  cried 
Hiram,  from  under  the  bank ;  "  seize  that  man ;  I  order 
you  to  seize  him  in  the  name  of  the  people." 

But  the  Leather-Stocking  now  assumed  a  more  threaten 
ing  attitude ;  his  rifle  was  in  his  hand,  and  its  muzzle  was 
directed  towards  the  wood-chopper. 

"  Stand  off,  I  bid  ye,"  said  Natty  ;  "  you  know  my  aim, 
Billy  Kirby  ;  I  don't  crave  your  blood,  but  mine  and  your'n 
both  shall  turn  this  green  grass  red,  afore  you  put  foot  into 
the  hut." 

While  the  affair  appeared  trifling,  the  wood-chopper 
seemed  disposed  to  take  sides  with  the  weaker  party  ;  but 
when  the  fire-arms  were  introduced,  his  manner  very  sensi 
bly  changed.  He  raised  his  large  frame  from  the  log,  and 
facing  the  hunter  with  an  open  front,  he  replied,  — 

"  I  didn't  come  here  as  your  enemy,  Leather -Stocking ; 
but  I  don't  value  the  hollow  piece  of  iron  in  your  hand  so 
much  as  a  broken  axe-helve  ;  so,  squire,  say  the  word,  and 
keep  within  the  law,  and  we'll  soon  see  who's  the  best  man 
of  the  two." 

But  no  magistrate  was  to  be  seen  !  The  instant  the  rifle 
was  produced  Hiram  and  Jotham  vanished  ;  and  when  the 
wood-chopper  bent  his  eyes  about  him  in  surprise  at  receiv 
ing  no  answer,  he  discovered  their  retreating  figures  moving 
towards  the  village  at  a  rate  that  sufficiently  indicated  that 


850  THE   PIONEERS. 

they  bad   not  only  calculated   the  velocity  of  a  rifle-bullet, | 
but  also  its  probable  range. 

"  You've  scared   the  creators  off,"  said  Kirby,  with  great  < 
contempt  expressed   on   his   broad   features  ;  "  but   you  are ; 
not  going   to  scare  me  ;  so,  Mr.  Burnppo,  down  with   yout 
gun,  or  there'll  be  trouble  'twixt  us." 

Natty  dropped  his  rifle,  and  replied, — 

"  I  wish  you  no  harm,  Billy  Kirby  ;  but  I  leave  it  to 
yourself,  whether  an  old  man's  hut  is  to  be  run  down  by 
such  varmint.  I  won't  deny  the  buck  to  you,  Billy,  and 
you  may  take  the  skin  in,  if  you  please,  and  show  it  aa 
testimony.  The  bounty  will  pay  the  fine,  and  that  ought  to 
satisfy  any  man." 

"  'Twill,  old  boy,  'twill,"  cried  Kirby,  every  shade  of  dis 
pleasure  vanishing  from  his  open  brow  at  the  peace-oiFer- 
mg ;  u  throw  out  the  hide,  and  that  shall  satisfy  the  law." 

Natty  entered  the  hut,  and  soon  reappeared,  bringing 
with  him  the  desired  testimonial ;  and  the  wood-chopper 
departed,  as  thoroughly  reconciled  to  the  hunter  as  if  nothing 
had  happened.  As  he  paced  along  the  margin  of  the  lake 
he  would  burst  into  frequent  fits  of  laughter,  while  he  recol 
lected  the  summerset  of  Hiram;  and,  on  tne  whole,  kb 
thought  the  affair  a  very  capital  joke. 

Long  before  Billy  reached  the  village,  however,  the  news 
of  his  clanger,  and  of  Natty's  disrespect  ot  the  law,  and  of* 
Jtliram's  discomfiture,  were  in  circulation.  A  good  deal  was 
said  about  sending  for  the  Sheriff;  some  hints  were  given 
about  calling  out  the  posse  comitatns  to  avenge  the  insulted 
luws ;  and  many  of  the  citizens  were  collected,  deliberating 
how  to  proceed.  The  arrival  of  Billy  with  the  skin,  by 
removing  all  grounds  for  a  search,  changed  the  complexion 
of  things  materially.  Nothing  now  remained  but  to  collect 
the  fine,  and  assert  the  dignity  of  the  people  ;  all  of  which, 
it  was  unanimously  agreed,  could  be  done  as -well  on  the 
succeeding  Monday  as  on  Saturday  night,  —  a  time  kept 
nacred  by  a  large  portion  of  the  settlers.  Accordingly,  all 
further  proceedings  were  suspended  for  six-and -thirty  houra 


THE  riONEEBS.  853 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 


And  dar'st  thou  then 
To  beard  the  lion  in  his  den. 
The  Douglass  in  his  hall  ? 


THE  commotion  was  just  subsiding,  and  the  inhabitants 
of  the  village  had  begun  to  disperse  from  the  little  groups 
hey  had  formed,  each  retiring  to  his  own  home,  and  closing 
lis  door  after  him,  with  the  grave  air  of  a  man  who  con 
sulted  public  feeling  in  his  exterior  deportment,  when  Oli 
ver  Edwards,  on  his  return  from  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Grant, 
encountered  the  young  lawyer,  who  is  known  to  the  reader 
as  Mr.  Lippet.  There  was  very  little  similarity  in  the 
manners  or  opinions  of  the  two  ;  but  as  they  both  belonged 
to  the  more  intelligent  class  of  a  very  small  community, 
they  were,  of  course,  known  to  each  other,  and  as  their 
meeting  was  at  a  point  where  silence  would  have  been  rude 
ness,  the  following  conversation  was  the  result  of  their  in 
terview  :  — 

"  A  fine  evening,  Mr.  Edwards,"  commenced  the  lawyer, 
whose  disinclination  to  the  dialogue  was,  to  say  the  least, 
very  doubtful  ;  "  we  want  rain  sadly  ;  that's  the  worst  of 
tlfis  climate  of  ours,  it's  either  a  drought  or  a  deluge.  It's 
likely  you've  been  used  to  a  more  equal  temperature  ?  " 

"  I  am  a  native  of  this  State,"  returned  Edwards,  coldly. 

"  Well,  I've  often  heard  that  point  disputed  ;  but  it's  so 
tasy  to  get  a  man  naturalized,  that  it's  of  little  consequence 
tyhere  he  was  born.  I  wonder  what  course  the  Judgo 
means  to  take  in  this  business  of  Natty  Bumppo  !  " 

"Of  Natty  Bumppo!"  echoed  Edwards;  "to  what  do 
you  allude,  sir  ?  " 

"Haven't  you  heard!  "  exclaimed  the  other,  with  a  look 
it  surprise,  so  naturally  assumed,  as  completely  to  deceive 


352  THK   PIONEERS. 

his  auditor  ;  "  it  may  turn  out  an  ugly  business.  It  scemi 
taat  the  old  man  has  been  out  in  the  hills,  and  has  shot  a 
buck  this  morning,  and  that,  you  know,  is  a  criminal  mat 
ter  in  the  eyes  of  Judge  Temple." 

"  0  !  he  has,  has  he  ?  "  said  Edwards,  averting  his  face  to 
conceal  the  color  that  collected  in  his  sunburnt  cheek. 
•'*  Well,  if  that  be  all,  he  must  even  pay  the  fine." 

"  It's  five  pounds  currency,"  said  the  lawyer ;  "  could 
Natty  muster  so  much  money  at  once?" 

"  Could  he ! "  cried  the  youth.  "  I  am  not  rich,  Mr. 
Lippet;  far  from  it  —  I  am  poor,  and  I  have  been  hoard 
ing  my  salary  for  a  purpose  that  lies  near  my  heart ;  but 
before  that  old  man  should  lie  one  hour  in  a  jail,  I  would 
spend  the  last  cent  to  prevent  it.  Besides,  he  has  killed 
two  panthers,  and  the  bounty  will  discharge  the  fine  many 
times  over." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  said  the  lawyer,  rubbing  his  hands  together 
with  an  expression  of  pleasure  that  had  no  artifice  about  it 
tt  we    shall    make  it    out ;  I  see    plainly  we  shall    make  it 
out." 

"  Make  what  out,  sir  ?     I  must  beg  an  explanation." 

"Why,  killing  the  buck  is  but  a  small  matter  compared 
to  what  took  place  this  afternoon,"  continued  Mr.  Lippet, 
with  a  confidential  and  friendly  air,  that  insensibly  won 
upon  the  youth,  little  as  he  liked  the  man.  "It  seemi 
that  a  complaint  was  made  of  the  fact,  and  a  suspicion  that 
there  was  venison  in  the  hut  was  sworn  to,  all  which  is 
provided  for  in  the  statute,  when  Judge  Temple  granted  a 
Search-warrant "  — 

"  A  search-warrant ! "  echoed  Edwards,  in  a  voice  of 
uorror,  and  with  a  face  that  should  have  been  again  averted 
to  conceal  its  paleness ;  "  and  how  much  did  they  discover  ? 
What  did  they  see  ?  " 

They  saw  old  Bumppo's  rifle ;  and  that  is  a  sight  which 
will  quiet  most  men's  curiosity  in  the  woods."-  .  'f 

"  Did  they  !  did  they  !  "  shouted  Edwards,  bursting  into 
a  convulsive  laugh  ;  "  so  the  old  hero  beat  their,  back !  h« 
beat  them  back  !  did  he  ?  " 

Tbe    lawyer    fastened  his  eyes  in  astonishment  on  the 


THE  PIONEERS.  358 

youth,  but  as  his  wonder  gave  way  to  the  thoughts  that 
were  commonly  uppermost  in  his  mind,  he  replied,  — 

"  It's  no  laughing  matter,  let  me  tell  you,  sir  ;  the  forty 
dollars  of  bounty,  and  your  six  months  of  salary,  will  be 
much  reduced  before  you  can  get  the  matter  fairly  settled. 
Assaulting  a  magistrate  in  the  execution  of  his  duty,  and 
menacing  a  constable  with  fire-arms  at  the  same  time,  is  a 
pretty  serious  affair,  and  is  punishable  with  both  fine  and 
imprisonment.'* 

"  Imprisonment ! "  repeated  Oliver ;  "  imprison  the 
Leather-Stocking!  no,  no,  sir;  it  would  bring  the  old  man 
to  his  grave.  They  shall  never  imprison  the  Leather-Stock 
ing." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Edwards,"  said  Lippet,  dropping  all  reserve 
from  his  manner,  "  you  are  called  a  curious  man ;  but  if  you 
can  tell  me  how  a  jury  is  to  be  prevented  from  finding  a 
verdict  of  guilty,  if  this  case  comes  fairly  before  them,  and 
the  proof  is  clear,  I  shall  acknowledge  that  you  know  more 
law  than  I  do,  who  have  had  a  license  in  my  pocket  for 
three  years." 

By  this  time  the  reason  of  Edwards  was  getting  the  as 
cendency  of  his  feelings,  and  as  he  began  to  see  the  veal 
difficulties  of  the  case,  he  listened  more  readily  to  the  con 
versation  of  the  lawyer.  The  ungovernable  emotion  that 
escaped  the  youth,  in  the  first  moments  of  his  surprise,  en 
tirely  passed  away ;  and  although  it  was  still  evident  that 
he  continued  to  be  much  agitated  by  what  he  had  heard,  he 
lucceeded  in  yielding  forced  attention  to  the  advice  which  the 
other  uttered. 

Notwithstanding  the  confused  state  of  his  mind,  Oliver 
soon  discovered  that  most  of  the  expedients  of  the  lawyer 
were  grounded  in  cunning,  and  plans  that  required  a  time 
to  execute  them  that  neither  suited  his  disposition  nor  his 
necessities.  After,  however,  giving  Mr.  Lippet  to  under 
stand  that  he  retained  him  in  the  event  of  a  trial,  an  assur 
ance  that  at  once  satisfied  the  law)  er,  they  parted,  one  tak 
ing  his  course,  with  a  deliberate  trend,  in  the  direction  of 
the  Mttle  building  that  had  a  wooden  sign  over  its  door, 
with  "  Chester  Lippet,  Attorney  at  Law,"  painted  on  it ; 
23 


854  THE  PIONEERS. 

and  the  other  pacing  over  the  ground  with  enormous  strides 
towards  the  Mansion-house.  We  shall  take  leave  of  the 
attorney  for  the  present,  and  direct  the  attention  of  the 
reader  to  his  client. 

When  Edwards  entered  the  hall,  whose  enormous  doors 
were  opened  to  the  passage  of  the  air  of  a  mild  evening,  he 
found  Benjamin  engaged  in  some  of  his  domestic  avocations, 
and  in  a  hurried  voice  inquired  where  Judge  Temple  was  to 
be  found. 

"Why,  tie  Judge  has  stept  into  his  office,  with  that  mas 
ter  carpenter,  Mister  Doolittle ;  but  Miss  Lizzy  is  in  that 
there  parlor.  I  say,  Master  Oliver,  we'd  like  to  have  had 
a  bad  job  of  that  panther,  or  painter's  work  —  some  calls  it 
one,  and  some  calls  it  t'other  —  but  I  know  little  of  the 
beast,  seeing  that  it  is  not  of  British  growth.  I  said  as 
much  as  that  it  was  in  the  hills  the  last  winter ;  for  I  heard 
it  moaning  on  the  lake  shore  one  evening  in  the  fall,  when  I 
was  pulling  down  from  the  fishing  point  in  the  skiff.  Had 
the  animal  come  into  open  water,  where  a  man  could  see 
where  and  how  to  work  his  vessel,  I  would  have  engaged 
the  thing  myself;  but  looking  aloft  among  the  trees  is  all 
the  same  to  me  as  standing  on  the  deck  of  one  ship,  and 
looking  at  another  vessel's  tops.  I  never  can  tell  one  rope 
from  another  "  — 

"  Well,  well,"  interrupted  Edwards ;  "  I  must  see  Miss 
Temple." 

"  And  you  shall  see  her,  sir,"  said  the  steward  ;  "  she's 
in  this  here  room.  Lord,  Master  Edwards,  what  a  loss 
she'd  have  been  to  the  Judge  !  Dam'me  if  I  know  where 
he  v.  ould  have  gotten  such  another  daughter  ;  that  is,  full 
^rown,  d'ye  see.  I  say,  sir,  this  Master  Bumppo  is  a  worthy 
TOan,  and  seems  to  have  a  handy  way  with  him,  with  fire 
arms  and  boat-hooks.  I'm  his  friend,  Master  Oliver,  and 
ne  and  you  may  both  set  me  down  as  the  same." 

"  We  may  want  your  friendship,  my  worthy  fellow,"  cried 
Edwards,  squeezing  his  hand  convulsively :  "  we  may  wan* 
your  friendship,  in  which  case  you  shall  know  it." 

Without  waiting  to  hear  the  earnest  reply  that  Benjamin 
meditated,  the  youth  extricated  himself  from  the  vigoroui 
grasp  of  the  steward,  and  entered  the  parlor. 


THE  PIONEERS.  855 

Elizabeth  was  alone,  and  still  reclining  on  the  sofa,  when 
we  last  left  her.  A  hand,  which  exceeded  all  that  the  inge 
nuity  of  art  could  model,  in  shape  and  color,  veiled  her  eyes ; 
and  the  maiden  was  sitting  as  if  in  deep  communion  with 
herself.  Struck  by  the  attitude  and  loveliness  of  the  form 
that  met  his  eye,  the  young  man  checked  his  impatience, 
and  approached  her  with  respect  and  caution 

"  Miss  Temple  —  Miss  Temple,"  he  said,  *•'  I  hope  I  do 
not  intrude ;  but  I  am  anxious  for  an  interview,  if  it  be  only 
for  a  moment." 

Elizabeth  raised  her  face,  and  exhibited  her  dark  eyes 
swimming  in  moisture. 

"Is  it  you,  Edwards?"  she  said,  with  a  sweetness  in 
her  voice,  and  a  softness  in  her  air,  that  she  often  used 
to  her  father,  but  which,  from  its  novelty  to  himself, 
thrilled  on  every  nerve  of  the  youth;  "how  left  you  our 
poor  Louisa?" 

"  She  is  with  her  father,  happy  and  grateful,"  said  Oliver. 
"  I  never  witnessed  more  feeling  than  she  manifested,  when 
I  ventured  to  express  my  pleasure  at  her  escape.  Misa 
Temple,  when  I  first  heard  of  your  horrid  situation,  my 
feelings  were  too  powerful  for  utterance ;  and  I  did  not 
properly  find  my  tongue,  until  the  walk  to  Mr.  Grant's  had 
given  me  time  to  collect  myself.  I'  believe — I  do  believe, 
I  acquitted  myself  better  there,  for  Miss  Grant  even  weft 
at  my  silly  speeches." 

For  a  moment  Elizabeth  did  not  reply,  but  again  veiled 
her  eyes  with  her  hand.  The  feeling  that  caused  the  action, 
however,  soon  passed  away,  and,  raising  her  face  again  to 
his  gaze,  she  continued,  with  a  smile,  — 

"  Your  friend,  the  Leather-Stocking,  has  now  become  my 
friend,  Edwards  ;  I  have  been  thinking  how  I  can  best 
serve  him }  perhaps  you,  who  know  his  habits  and  his  wants 
go  well,  can  tell  me ''  — 

.  "  I  can,"  cried  the  youth,  with  an  impetuosity  that  startled 
his  companion,  "  I  can,  and  may  Heaven  reward  you  for  the 
Wish.  Natty  has  been  so  imprudent  as  to  forget  the  law, 
und  has  this  day  killed  a  deer.  Nay,  I  believe  I  must  share 
in  the  crime  and  the  penalty,  for  I  was  an  accomplic« 


856  THE  PIONEERS. 

throughout     A  complaint  has  been  made  to  your  father 
and  he  has  granted  a  search  "  — 

"  I  know  it  all,"  interrupted  Elizabeth ;  "  I  know  it  all,  1 
The  forms  of  the  law  must  be  complied  with,  however ;  the 
search  must  be  made,  the  deer  found,  aud  the  penalty  paid. 
But  I  must  retort  your  own  question.     Have  you  lived  so  ; 
long  in  our  family  not  to  know  us  ?     Look  at  me,  Oliver  \ 
Edwards.     Do  I  appear  like  one  who  would  permit  the  man 
that  has  just  saved  her  life  to  linger  in  a  jail  for  so  small 
a  sum  as  this  fine  ?     No,  no,  sir  ;  my  father  is  a  judge,  but 
he  is  a  man  and  a  Christian.     It  is  all  understood,  and  no 
harm  shall  follow." 

"  What  a  load  of  apprehension  do  your  declarations  re 
move  !  "  exclaimed  Edwards.  "  He  shall  not  be  disturbed 
again !  your  father  will  protect  him !  I  have  your  assurance, 
Miss  Temple,  that  he  will,  and  I  must  believe  it." 

"  You  may  have  his  own,  Mr.  Edwards,"  returned  Eliza 
beth,  "  for  here  he  comes  to  make  it." 

But  the  appearance  of  Marmaduke,  who  entered  the 
apartment,  contradicted  the  flattering  anticipations  of  his 
daughter.  His  brow  was  contracted,  and  his  manner  dis 
turbed.  Neither  Elizabeth  nor  the  youth  spoke  ;  but  the 
Judge  was  allowed  to  pace  once  or  twice  across  the  room 
without  interruption,  when  he  cried,  — 

"  Our  plans  are  defeated,  girl ;  tho  obstinacy  of  thet 
Leather-Stocking  has  brought  down  the  indignation  of  the* 
law  on  his  head,  and  it  is  now  out  of  my  power  to  avert  it." 

"  How  ?  in  what  manner  ?  "  cried  Elizabeth ;  "  the  line 
in  nothing  ;  surely  "  — 

"  I  did  not  —  I  could  not  anticipate  that  an  old,  a  friend 
less  man  like  him,  would  dare  to  oppose  the  officers  of  jus 
tice,"  interrupted  the  Judge  ;  "  I  supposed  that  he  would 
submit  to  the  search,  when  the  fine  could  have  been  paid, 
.ind  the  law  would  have  been  appeased ;  but  now  he  will 
have  to  meet  its  rigor." 

"  And  what  must  the  punishment  be,  sir  ? "  asked  Ed 
wards,  struggling  to  speak  with  firmness. 

Marmaduke  turned  quickly  to  the  spot  where  the  youth 
had  withdrawn,  and  excf aimed, — 


THE   PIONEERS.  367 

tt  Ton  here !  T  did  not  observe  you.  I  know  not  what 
it  will  be,  sir ;  it  is  not  usual  for  a  judge  to  decide,  until  he 
has  heard  the  testimony,  and  the  jury  have  convicted.  Of 
one  thing,  however,  you  may  be  assured,  Mr.  Edwards ;  it 
shall  be  whatever  the  law  demands,  notwithstanding  any 
momentary  weakness  I  may  have  exhibited,  because  the 
luckless  man  has  been  of  such  eminent  service  to  ja^ 
daughter." 

"No  one,  I  believe,  doubts  the  sense  of  justice  which 
Judge  Temple  entertains!"  returned  Edwards  bitte.ly. 
"  But  let  us  converse  calmly,  sir.  Will  not  the  years,  the 
habits,  nay,  the  ignorance  of  my  old  friend,  avail  him  any 
thing  against  this  charge  ?  " 

"  Ought  they  ?  They  may  extenuate,  but  can  they  ac 
quit  ?  Would  any  society  be  tolerable,  young  man,  where 
the  ministers  of  justice  are  to  be  opposed  by  men  armed 
with  rifles  ?  Is  it  for  this  that  I  have  tamed  the  wilder 
ness?" 

"  Had  you  tamed  the  beasts  that  so  lately  threatened  the 
life  of  Miss  Temple,  sir,  your  arguments  would  apply  bet 
ter." 

"  Edwards  !  "  exclaimed  Elizabeth. 

"  Peace,  my  child,"  interrupted  the  father ;  "  the  youth 
is  unjust ;  but  I  have  not  given  him  cause.  I  overlook  thy 
remark,  Oliver,  for  I  know  thee  to  be  the  friend  of  Natty, 
and  zeal  in  his  behalf  has  overcome  thy  discretion." 

"  Yes,  he  is  my  friend,"  cried  Edwards,  "  and  I  glory  in 
the  title.  He  is  simple,  unlettered,  even  ignorant :  preju 
diced,  perhaps,  though  I  feel  that  his  opinion  of  the  world 
is  too  true  ;  but  he  has  a  heart,  Judge  Temple,  that  would 
atone  for  a  thousand  faults ;  he  knows  his  friends,  aiul 
never  deserts  them,  even  if  it  be  his  dog." 

"  This  is  a  good  character,  Mr.  Edwards,"  returned  Mar- 
vnaduke,  mildly ;  "  but  I  have  never  been  so  fortunate  as  to 
secure  his  esteem,  for  to  me  he  has  been  uniformly  repul 
sive  ;  yet  I  have  endured  it  as  an  old  man's  whim.  Plow- 
ever,  when  he  appears  before  me,  as  his  judge,  he  shall  find 
that  his  former  conduct  shall  not  aggravate,  any  more  thai 
his  recent  services  shall  extenuate,  his  crime." 


368  THE    PIONEERS. 

u  Crime !  "  echoed  Edwards  ;  "  is  it  a  crime  to  drive  a 
prying  miscreant  from  his  door  ?  Crime  \  O,  no,  sir ;  if 
there  be  a  criminal  involved  in  this  affair,  it  is  not  he." 

"  And  who  may  it  be,  sir  ?  "  asked  Judge  Temple,  facing 
the  agitated  youth,  his  features  settled  to  their  usual  com 
posure. 

This  appeal  was  more  than  the  young  man  could  bear 
Hitherto  he  had  been  deeply  agitated  by  his  emotions  ;  but 
now  the  volcano  burst  its  boundaries. 

"  Who !  and  this  to  me  !  "  he  cried ;  "  ask  your  own 
conscience,  Judge  Temple.  Walk  to  that  door,  sir,  and 
look  out  upon  the  valley,  that  placid  lake,  and  those  dusky 
mountains,  and  say  to  your  own  heart,  if  heart  you  have. 
Whence  came  these  riches,  this  vale,  those  hills,  and  why 
am  I  their  owner  ?  I  should  think,  sir,  that  the  appearance 
of  Mohegan  and  the  Leather-Stocking,  stalking  through 
the  country,  impoverished  and  forlorn,  would  wither  your 
sight." 

Marmaduke  heard  this  burst  of  passion,  at  first,  witli 
deep  amazement :  but  when  the  youth  had  ended,  he  beck 
oned  to  his  impatient  daughter  for  silence,  and  replied, — 

"  Oliver  Edwards,  thou  forgettest  in  whose  presence  thou 
Btandest.  I  have  heard,  young  man,  that  thou  claimest  de 
scent  from  the  native  owners  of  the  soil ;  but  surely  thy 
education  has  been  given  thee  to  no  effect,  if  it  has  not 
taught  thee  the  validity  of  the  claims  that  have  transferred 
the  title  to  the  whites.  These  lands  are  mine  by  the  very 
grants  of  thy  ancestry,  if  thou  art  so  descended ;  and  I 
appeal  to  Heaven  for  a  testimony  of  the  uses  I  have  put 
them  to.  After  this  language,  we  must  separate.  I  hare 
too  long  sheltered  thee  in  my  dwelling ;  but  the  time  lias 
errivad  when  thou  must  quit  it.  Come  to  my  office,  and  J 
will  discharge  the  debt  I  owe  thee.  Neither  shall  thj 
present  intemperate  language  mar  thy  future  fortunes,  if 
Jiou  wilt  hearken  to  the  advice  of  one  who  is  by  man} 
fears  thy  senior." 

The  ungovernable  feeling  that  caused  the  violence  of  the 
youth  had  passed  away,  and  he  stood  gazing  after  the  retir 
ing  figure  of  Marmaduke,  with  a  vacancy  in  his  eye  thai 


THE  PIONEERS.  869 

denoted  the  absence  of  his  mind.  At  length  he  recollected 
himself,  and,  turning  his  head  slowly  around  the  apartment, 
he  beheld  Elizabeth, "still  seated  on  the  sofa,  but  with  her 
head  dropped  on  her  bosom,  and  her  face  again  concealed 
by  her  hands. 

"  Miss  Temple,"  he  said  —  all  violence  had  left  his  man 
ner —  "Miss  Temple,  I  have  forgotten  myself — forgotten 
you.  You  have  heard  what  your  father  has  decreed,  and 
this  night  I  leave  here.  With  you,  at  least,  I  would  part  in 
amity." 

Elizabeth  slowly  raised  her  face,  across  which  a  moment 
ary  expression  of  sadness  stole ;  but  as  she  left  her  seat, 
her  dark  eyes  lighted  with  their  usual  fire,  her  cheek  flushed 
to  burning,  and  her  whole  air  seemed  to  belong  to  another 
nature. 

"  I  forgive  you,  Edwards,  and  my  father  will  forgive 
you,"  she  said,  when  she  reached  the  door.  "  You  do  not 
know  us,  but  the  time  may  come,  when  your  opinions  shall 
change " — 

"  Of  you !  never  !  "  interrupted  the  youth  ;  "I"  — 

"  I  would  speak,  sir,  and  not  listen.  There  is  something 
in  this  affair  that  I  do  not  comprehend ;  but  tell  the 
Leather-Stocking  he  has  friends  as  well  as  judges  in  us. 
Do  not  let  the  old  man  experience  unnecessary  uneasiness 
at  this  rupture.  It  is  impossible  that  you  could  increase  his 
claims  here ;  neither  shall  they  be  diminished  by  anything 
you  have  said.  Mr.  Edwards,  I  wish  you  happiness,  and 
warmer  friends." 

The  youth  would  have  spoken,  but  she  vanished  from  the 
door  so  rapidly,  that  when  he  reached  the  hall  her  form 
was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  He  paused  a  moment,  in  stupor, 
and  then,  rushing  from  the  house,  instead  of  following  Mar- 
maduke  to  his  "  office,"  he  took  his  way  directly  for  tbf 
cabin  of  the  hunters. 


S6C  THE  PIONEERS, 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Who  measured  earth,  described  the  starry  spheres, 
And  traced  the  long  records  of  lunar  years. 

Pone. 

RICHARD  did  not  return  from  the  exercise  of  his  official 
duties,  until  late  in  the  evening  of  the  following  day.  It 
had  been  one  portion  of  his  business  to  superintend  the 
arrest  of  part  of  a  gang  of  counterfeiters,  that  had,  even  at 
that  early  period,  buried  themselves  in  the  woods,  to  manu 
facture  their  base  coin,  which  they  afterwards  circulated 
from  one  end  of  the  Union  to  the  other.  The  expedition 
had  been  completely  successful,  and  about  midnight  the 
Sheriff  entered  the  village,  at  the  head  of  a  posse  of  dep 
uties  and  constables,  in  the  centre  of  whom  rode,  pinioned, 
four  of  the  malefactors.  At  the  gate  of  the  Mansion-house 
they  separated,  Mr.  Jones  directing  his  assistants  to  pro 
ceed  with  their  charge  to  the  county  jail,  while  he  pursued 
his  own  way  up  the  graveled  walk,  with  the  kind  of  self- 
satisfaction  that  a  man  of  his  organization  would  feel,  who ; 
had  really,  for  once,  done  a  very  clever  thing. 

"  Holla !  Aggy ! "  shouted  the  Sheriff,  when  he  reached 
the  door  ;  "  where  are  you,  you  black  dog  ?  will  you  keep 
me  here  in  the  dark  all  night  ?  Holla !  Aggy !  Brave  1 
Brave!  hoy,  hoy  —  where  have  you  got  to,  Brave  ?  Off 
his  watch  !  Everybody  is  asleep  but  myself!  poor  I  must 
keep  my  eyes  open,  that  others  may  sleep  in  safety. 
Bra  ye!  Brave!  Well,  I  will  say  this  for  the  dog,  lazv  a? 
he's  grown,  that  it  is  the  first  time  I  ever  knew  him  let  anj 
one  come  to  the  door  after  dark,  without  having  a  smell  to 
know  whether  it  was  an  honest  man  or  not.  He  could  tell 
by  his  nose,  almost  as  well  as  I  could  myself  by  looking  at 
them.  Holla !  you  Agamemnon !  where  are  you  ?  O 
here  cornea  the  dog  at  last." 


THE   PIONEERS.  &61 

By  this  time  the  Sheriff  had  dismounted,  and  observed  a 
form,  which  he  supposed  to  be  that  of  Brave,  slowly  creep 
ing  out  of  the  kennel ;  when,  to  his  astonishment,  it  reared 
itself  on  two  legs  instead  of  four,  and  he  was  able  to  dis 
tinguish,  by  the  starlight,  the  curly  head  and  dark  ^isage 
of  the  negro. 

"  Ha !  what  the  devil  are  you  doing  there,  yen  black 
rascal  ? "  he  cried ;  "  is  it  not  hot  enough  for  your  Guinea 
blood  in  the  house,  this  warm  night,  but  you  must  drive  out 
the  poor  dog  and  sleep  in  his  straw  ?  " 

By  this  time  the  boy  was  quite  awake,  and,  with  a  blub 
bering  whine,  he  attempted  to  reply  to  his  master. 

"O!  Masser  Richard!  Masser  Richard!  such  a  ting!  such 
a  ting !  I  nebber  tink  a  could  'appen !  nebber  tink  he  die ! 
O,  Lor-a-gor!  ain't  bury  —  keep  'em  till  Masser  Richard 
get  back  —  got  a  grabe  dug  "  — 

Here  the  feelings  of  the  negro  completely  got  the  mas 
tery,  and  instead  of  making  any  intelligible  explanation  of 
the  causes  of  his  grief,  he  blubbered  aloud. 

"  Eh !  what !  buried !  grave !  dead ! "  exclaimed  Richard, 
with  a  tremor  in  his  voice ;  "  nothing  serious  ?  Nothing  has 
happened  to  Benjamin,  I  hope !  I  know  he  has  been  bil 
ious  ;  but  I  gave  him  "  — 

"  O !  worser  'an  dat !  worser  'an  dat ! "  sobbed  the  negro, 
"  O  !  de  Lor  !  Miss  Lizzy  an'  Miss  Grant  —  walk  —  moun 
tain  —  poor  Bravy !  —  kill  a  lady  —  painter  —  O  !  Lor? 
Lor !  —  Natty  Bumppo  —  tare  he  troat  open  —  come  a  see, 
Masser  Richard  —  here  he  be  —  here  he  be." 

As  all  this  was  perfectly  inexplicable  to  the  Sheriff,  he 
vras  very  glad  to  wait  patiently  until  the  black  brought  a 
lantern  from  the  kitchen,  when  he  followed  Aggy  to  the 
kennel,  where  he  beheld  poor  Brave,  indeed,  lying  in  his 
blood,  stiff  and  cold,  but  decently  covered  with  the  great 
coat  of  the  negro  He  was  on  the  point  of  demanding  an 
explanation ;  but  the  grief  of  the  black,  who  had  fallen 
asleep  on  his  voluntary  watch,  having  burst  out  afresh  on 
his  waking,  utterly  disqualified  the  lad  from  giving  one. 
Luckily,  at  this  moment  the  principal  door  of  the  house 
opened,  and  the  coarse  features  of  Benjamin  were  thrust 


362  THE  PIONEERS. 

over  the  threshold,  with  a  candle  elevated  above  them,  shed 
ding  its  dim  rays  around  in  such  a  manner  as  to  exhibit  the 
lights  and  shadows  of  his  countenance.  Richard  threw  his 
bridle  to  the  black,  and  bidding  him  look  to  the  horse, 
he  entered  the  hall. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  the  dead  dog?"  he  cried, 
u  Where  is  Miss  Temple  ?  " 

Benjamin  made  one  of  his  square  gestures,  with  tho 
thumb  of  his  left  hand  pointing  over  his  right  shoulder,  aa 
he  answered, — 

"  Turned  in." 

"  Judge  Temple  —  where  is  he  ?  " 

" In  his  berth." 

"But  explain ;  why  is  Brave  dead ?  and  what  is  the 
cause  of  Aggy's  grief?  " 

"  Why,  it's  all  down,  Squire,"  said  Benjamin,  pointing  to 
a  slate  that  lay  on  the  table,  by  the  side  of  a  mug  of  toddy, 
a  short  pipe,  in  which  the  tobacco  was  yet  burning,  and  a 
prayer-book. 

Among  the  other  pursuits  of  Richard,  he  had  a  passion 
to  keep  a  register  of  all  passing  events ;  and  his  diary,  which 
was  written  in  the  manner  of  a  journal,  or  log-book,  em 
braced  not  only  such  circumstances  as  affected  himself,  but 
observations  on  the  weather,  and  all  the  occurrences  of  the 
family,  and  frequently  of  the  village.  Since  his  appoint 
ment  to  the  office  of  Sheriff,  and  his  consequent  absences' 
from  home,  he  had  employed  Benjamin  to  make  memoranda, 
on  a  slate,  of  whatever  might  be  thought  worth  remember 
ing,  which,  on  his  return,  were  regularly  transferred  to  the 
journal,  with  proper  notations  of  the  time,  manner,  and 
other  little  particulars.  There  was,  to  be  sure,  one  material 
objection  to  the  clerkship  of  Benjamin,  which  the  ingenuity 
of  no  one  but  Richard  could  have  overcome.  The  steward 
read  nothing  but  his  prayer-book,  and  that  only  in  particu 
lar  parts,  and  by  the  aid  of  a  good  deal  of  spelling,  and 
Borne  misnomers ;  but  he  could  not  form  a  single  letter 
with  a  pen.  This  would  have  been  an  insuperable  bar  to 
journalizing,  with  most  men ;  but  Richard  invented  a  kind 
of  hieroglyphicul  character,  which  was  intended  to  note  al) 


THE  PIONEERS.  863 

the  ordinary  occurrences  of  the  day,  such  as  how  the  wind 
blew,  whether  the  sun  shone,  or  whether  it  rained,  the 
hours,  etc. ;  and  for  the  extraordinary,  after  giving  certain 
elementary  lectures  on  the  subject,  the  Sheriff  was  obliged 
to  trust  to  the  ingenuity  of  the  major-domo.  The  leader 
will  at  once  perceive,  that  it  was  to  this  chronicle  that  Ben 
jamin  pointed,  instead  of  directly  answering  the  Sheriff'* 
interrogatory. 

When  Mr.  Jones  had  drunk  a  glass  of  toddy,  he  brought 
fDrth,  from  its  secret  place,  his  proper  journal,  and,  seating 
himself  by  the  table,  he  prepared  to  transfer  the  contents 
of  the  slate  to  the  paper,  at  the  same  time  that  he  appeased 
his  curiosity.  Benjamin  laid  one  hand  on  the  back  of  the 
Sheriff's  chair,  in  a  familiar  manner,  while  he  kept  the 
other  at  liberty,  to  make  use  of  a  forefinger,  that  was  bent 
like  some  of  his  own  charaters,  as  an  index  to  point  out  his 
meaning. 

The  first  thing  referred  to  by  the  Sheriff  was  the  dia 
gram  of  a  compass,  cut  in  one  corner  of  the  slate  for  perma 
nent  use.  The  cardinal  points  were  plainly  marked  on  it, 
and  all  the  usual  divisions  were  indicated  in  such  a  manner, 
that  no  man  who  ever  steered  a  ship  could  mistake  them. 

u  O  ! "  said  the  Sheriff,  settling  himself  down  comfortably 
in  his  chair,  "  you'd  the  wind  southeast,  I  see,  all  last  night ; 
I  thought  it  would  have  blown  up  rain." 

"  Devil  the  drop,  sir,"  said  Benjamin  ;  "  I  believe  that 
the  scuttle-butt  up  aloft  is  emptied,  for  there  hasn't  so 
much  water  fell  in  the  country,  for  the  last  three  weeks,  as 
would  float  Indian  John's  canoe,  and  that  draws  just  one 
mch  nothing,  light." 

"  "Well,  but  didn't  the  wind  change  here  this  morni:  g  ? 
thei  3  was  a  change  where  I  was." 

"  To  be  sure  it  did,  Squire ;  and  haven't  I  logged  it  a* 
q  nhifY  of  wind." 

a  I  don't  see  where,  Benjamin  "  — 

"  Don't  see  !  "  interrupted  the  steward,  a  little  crustily  ; 
*  ain't  there  a  mark  agin  east-an.l-by-nothe-half-nothe,  with 
lum'mat  like  a  rising  sun  at  the  end  of  it,  to  show  'twas  in 
the  morning  watch  ?  " 


364  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  Yes,  yes,  that  is  very  legible  ;  but  where  is  the  change 
noted  ?  " 

"  Where  !  why  doesn't  it  see  this  here  tea-kettle,  with 
a  mark  run  from  the  spout  straight,  or  mayhap  a  little 
crooked  or  so,  into  west-and-by-southe-half-southe  ?  now  I 
call  this  a  shift  of  wind,  Squire.  Well,  do  you  see  this 
here  boar's  head  that  you  made  for  me,  alongside  of  the 
compass  "  — 

"  Aye,  aye  —  Boreas  —  I  see.  Why  youVe  drawn  lines 
from  Its  mouth,  extending  from  one  of  your  marks  to  the 
other." 

"  It's  no  fault  of  mine,  Squire  Dickens !  'tis  your  d d 

climate.  The  wind  has  been  at  all  them  there  marks  this 
very  day  and  that's  all  round  the  compass,  except  a  little 
matter  of  an  Irishman's  hurricane  at  meridium,  which  you'll 
find  marked  right  up  and  down.  Now,  I've  known  a  sou' 
wester  blow  for  three  weeks,  in  the  channel,  with  a  clean 
drizzle,  in  which  you  might  wash  your  face  and  hands,  with 
out  the  trouble  of  hauling  in  water  from  alongside." 

"  Very  well,  Benjamin,"  said  the  Sheriff,  writing  in  his 
journal ;  "  I  believe  I  have  caught  the  idea.  O !  here's  a 
cloud  over  the  rising  sun  ;  so  you  had  it  hazy  in  the  morn 
ing  ?  " 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  said  Benjamin. 

"  Ah  !  it's  Sunday,  and  here  are  the  marks  for  the  length 
of  the  sermon  —  one,  two,  three,  four :  what !  did  Mr, 
Grant  preach  forty  minutes  ?  " 

"  Aye  sum'mat  like  it ;  it  was  a  good  half-hour  by  my 
own  glaas.  and  then  there  was  the  time  lost  in  turning  it, 
and  sorLe  little  allowance  for  leeway  in  not  being  over 
smart  about  it." 

"  Benjamin,  this  is  as  long  as  a  Presbyterian ;  you  never 
could  have  been  ten  minutes  in  turning  the  glass  ! " 

"  \T  ny,  do  you  see,  Squire,  the  parson  was  very  E-olenm, 
and  I  just  closed  my  eyes  in  order  to  think  the  better  with 
myself,  just  the  same  as  you'd  put  in  the  dead-lights  to  make 
till  snug,  and  when  I  opened  them  ag'in  1  found  the  congre 
gation  were  getting  under  way  for  home,  so  I  calculated 
the  ten  minutes  would  cover  the  leeway  after  the  glass  wai 
out.  It  was  only  some  such  matter  as  a  cat's  nap." 


THE  PIONEERS,  865 

"O,  ho!  Master  Benjamin,  you  were  asletp,  were  you  ! 
but  I'll  set  down  no  such  slander  against  an  orthodox 
divine."  Richard  wrote  twenty-nine  minutes  iii  his  journal, 
and  continued :  "  Why,  what's  this  you've  got  opposite  ten 
o'clock  A.  M.  ?  A  full  moon  !  had  you  a  moon  visible  by 
day!  I  have  heard  of  such  portents  before  now,  tut — eh! 
what's  this  alongside  of  it  ?  an  hour-glass  ?  " 

"  That ! "  said  Benjamin,  looking  coolly  over  the  Sheriff's 
shoulder,  and  rolling  the  tobacco  about  in  his  mouth  with  a 
jocular  air  ;  "  why,  that's  a  small  matter  of  my  own.  It's 
no  moon,  Squire,  but  only  Betty  Hollister's  face ;  for,  i'ye 
see,  sir,  hearing  all  the  same  as  if  she  had  got  up  a  new 
cargo  of  Jamaiky  from  the  river,  I  called  in  as  I  was  going 
to  the  church  this  morning — ten  A.  M.  was  it? — just  the 
time  —  and  tried  a  glass  ;  and  so  I  logged  it,  to  put  me  in 
mind  of  calling  to  pay  her  like  an  honest  man." 

"  That  was  it,  was  it  ?  "  said  the  Sheriff,  with  some  dis 
pleasure  at  this  innovation  on  his  memoranda ;  "  and  could 
you  not  make  a  better  glass  than  this  ?  it  looks  like  a 
death's  head  and  an  hour-glass." 

"  Why,  as  I  liked  the  stuff,  Squire,"  returned  the  steward, 
"  I  turned  in,  homeward  bound,  and  took  t'other  glass,  which 
I  set  down  at  the  bottom  of  the  first,  and  that  gives  the 
thing  the  shape  it  has.  But  as  I  was  there  again  to-nigh  t, 
and  paid  for  the  three  at  once,  your  honor  may  as  well  run 
the  sponge  over  the  whole  business." 

"  I  wiU  buy  you  a  slate  for  your  own  affairs,  Benjamin," 
said  the  Sheriff;  "  I  don't  like  to  have  the  journal  marked 
over  in  this  manner." 

*  You  needn't  —  you  needn't,  Squire ;  for  seeing  that  I 
was  likely  to  trade  often  with  the  woman  while  this  barrel 
lasted,  I've  opened  a  fair  account  with  Betty,  and  she  keeps 
her  marks  on  the  back  of  her  bar  door  and  I  keeps  Iho 
tally  on  this  here  bit  of  a  stick." 

As  Benjamin  concluded  he  produced  a  piece  of  wood,  on 
which  five  very  large,  honest  notches  were  apparent.  The 
Sheriff  cast  his  eyes  on  this  new  ledger  for  a  moment)  and 
flontinued,  — 

"  What  have  we  here '  Saturday,  two  p.  M.  —  why,  here'i 
i  whole  fimily  piece!  two  wine-glasses  upside  downl" 


866  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  That's  two  women  ;  the  one  this-away  is  MLSS  Lizc j, < 
and  t'other  is  the  parson's  young'un." 

"  Cousin  Bess  and  Miss  Grant ! "  exclaimed  the  Sheriff 
in  amazement ;  "  what  have  they  to  do  with  my  journal  ?  " 

"  They'd  enough  to  do  to  get  out  of  the  jaws  of  that  j 
there  painter,  or  panther,"  said  the  immovable  steward. 
"  This  here  thingum'y,  Squire,  that  maybe  looks  sum'mat 
like  a  rat,  is  the  beast,  d'ye  see  ;  and  this  here  t'other  thing, 
keel  uppermost,  Is  poor  old  Brave,  who  died  noWy,  all  the 
same  as  an  admiral  fighting  for  his  king  and  country:  and 
that  there"  — 

"  Scarecrow,"  interrupted  Richard. 

"  Aye,  mayhap  it  do  look  a  little  wild  or  so,"  continued 
the  steward  :  "  but  to  my  judgment,  Squire,  it's  the  best 
image  I've  made,  seeing  it's  most  like  the  man  himself; 
well  that's  Natty  Bumppo,  who  shot  this  here  painter,  that 
killed  that  there  dog,  who  would  have  eaten  or  done  worse 
to  them  here  young  ladies." 

"  And  what  the  devil  does  all  this  mean  ?  "  cried  Rich 
ard,  impatiently. 

"  Mean  ! "  echoed  Benjamin ;  "  it  is  as  true  as  the 
Boadishey's  log-book  "  — 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  Sheriff,  who  put  a  few  direct 
questions  to  him,  that  obtained  more  intelligible  answers,  by 
which  means  he  became  possessed  of  a  tolerably  correct 
idea  of  the  truth.  When  the  wonder,  and,  we  must  do* 
Richard  the  justice  to  say,  the  feelings  also,  that  were 
created  by  this  narrative,  had  in  some  degree  subsided,  tho 
Sheriff  turned  his  eyes  again  on  his  journal,  where  more 
inexplicable  hieroglyphics  met  his  view. 

"  What  have  we  here  ! "  he  cried  ;  "  two  men  boxing  I 
iias  there  been  a  breach  of  the  peace  ?  ah,  that's  the  way, 
the  moment  my  back  is  turned  "  — 

"  That's  the  Judge  and  young  Master  Edwards,"  inter 
rupted  the  steward,  very  cavalierly. 

"  How !  'Duke  fighting  with  Oliver !  what  the  devil  has 
got  into  you  all  ?  more  things  have  happened  within  the 
last  thirty-six  hours  than  in  the  preceding  six  months.''1 

"  Yes,  it's  so  indeed,  Squire,"  returned  the  steward  ;  "  I've 


THE   riONEKRS.  867 

known  a  smart  chase,  and  a  fight  at  the  tail  of  it,  where 
less  lias  been  logged  than  I've  got  on  that  there  elate. 
Ilowsomnever,  they  didn't  come  to  facers,  only  passed  a 
little  jaw  fore  and  aft." 

"  Explain  !  explain  !  "  cried  Richard  :  "  it  was  about  the 
mines,  ha !  aye,  aye,  I  see  it ;  here  is  a  man  with  a  j.'ick 
on  his  shoulder.  So  you  heard  it  all,  Benjamin?" 

"  Why,  yes,  it  was  about  their  minds,  I  believe,  Squire,'J 
lelmned  the  steward;  "and  by  what  I  can  learn,  they 
spoke  them  pretty  plainly  to  one  another.  Indeed,  I  may 
say  that  I  overheard  a  small  matter  of  it  myself,  seeing 
that  the  windows  was  open,  and  I  hard  by.  But  this  here 
is  no  pick,  but  an  anchor  on  a  man's  shoulder ;  and  here's 
the  other  fluke  down  his  back,  maybe  a  little  too  close, 
which  signifies  that  the  lad  has  got  under  way  and  left  his 


moorings." 

"Has  Edwards  left  the  house? 


«  He  has." 

Richard  pursued  this  advantage  ;  and,  after  a  long  and 
close  examination,  he  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  Benjamin 
all  that  he  knew,  not  only  concerning  the  misunderstanding, 
but  of  the  attempt  to  search  the  hut,  and  Hiram's  discom 
fiture.  The  Sheriff  was  no  sooner  possessed  of  these  facts, 
which  Benjamin  related  with  all  possible  tenderness  to  the 
Leather-Stocking,  than,  snatchmg  up  his  hat,  and  bidding 
the  astonished  steward  secure  the  doors  and  go  to  his  bed, 
he  left  the  house. 

For  at  least  five  minutes  after  Richard  disappeared,  Ben 
jamin  stood  with  his  arms  akimbo,  and  his  eyes  fastened  on 
the  door;  when,  having  collected  his  astonished  faculties, 
he  prepared  to  execute  the  orders  he  had  received. 

It  has  been  already  said  that  the  "  ccurt  of  common  pleas 
and  general  sessions  of  the  peace,"  or,  as  it  is  commonly 
called,  the  "  county  court,"  over  which  Judge  Temple  pre= 
sided,  held  one  of  its  stated  sessions  on  the  following  moi  n- 
hig.  The  attendants  of  Richard  were  officers  who  had 
come  to  the  village,  as  much  to  discharge  their  usual  duties 
at  this  court,  as  to  escort  the  prisoners  ;  and  the  Sherin* 
knew  their  habits  t)o  well,  not  to  feel  confident  he  should 


368  THE   PIONEERS. 

find  most,  if  not  all  of  them,  in  the  public  room  of  the  Jail, 
discussing  the  qualities  of  the  keeper's  liquors.  Accord 
ingly  he  held  his  way  through  the  silent  streets  of  tho 
village,  directly  to  the  small  and  insecure  building  that  con 
tained  all  the  unfortunate  debtors,  and  some  of  the  crimi 
nals  of  the  county,  and  where  justice  was  administered  to 
such  unwary  applicants  as  were  so  silly  as  to  throw  away 
two  dollars,  in  order  to  obtain  one  from  their  neighbors. 
The  arrival  of  four  malefactors  in  the  custody  of  a  dozen 
officers,  was  an  event,  at  that  day,  in  Templeton  ;  anu 
when  the  Sheriff  reached  the  jail,  he  found  every  indica 
tion  that  his  subordinates  intended  to  make  a  night  of  it. 

The  nod  of  the  Sheriff  brought  two  of  his  deputies  it* 
the  door,  who  in  their  turn  drew  off  six  or  seven  of  tk$ 
constables.  With  this  force  Richard  led  the  way  through 
the  village,  towards  the  bank  of  the  lake,  undisturbed  by 
any  noise,  except  the  barking  of  one  or  two  curs,  who  were 
alarmed  by  the  measured  tread  of  the  party,  and  by  the 
low  murmurs  that  ran  through  their  own  numbers,  as  a  few 
cautious  questions  and  answers  were  exchanged,  relative  to 
;he  object  of  their  expedition.  When  they  had  crossed 
;he  little  bridge  of  hewn  logs  that  was  thrown  over  the 
Susquehanna,  they  left  the  highway,  and  struck  into  that 
field  which  had  been  the  scene  of  the  victory  over  the 
pigeons.  From  this  they  followed  their  leader  into  the 
low  bushes  of  pines  and  chestnuts  which  had  sprung  up 
along  the  shores  of  the  lake,  where  the  plough  had  not 
succeeded  the  fall  of  the  trees,  and  soon  entered  the  forest 
itself.  Here  Richard  paused,  and  collected  his  tro^p 
around  him. 

"  I  have  required  your  assistance,  my  friends."  he  said,  in 
a  low  voice,  "in  order  to  arrest  Nathaniel  Bumppo,  coin- 
manly  called  the  Leather-Stocking.  He  has  assaulted  a 
nagistrate,  and  resisted  the  execution  of  a  search-warrant, 
oy  threatening  the  life  of  a  constable  with  his  rifle.  In 
short,  my  friends,  he  has  set  an  example  of  rebellion  to 
the  laws,  and  has  become  a  kind  of  outlaw.  He  is  sus 
pected  of  other  misdemeanors  and  offenses  against  private 
rights ;  and  I  have  this  night  taken  on  myself,  by  the  virtue 


THE  PIONEERS.  869 

of  mj  office  of  Sheriff,  to  arrest  the  said  Bimppo,  and 
bring  him  to  the  county  jail,  that  he  may  be  present  and 
forthcoming  to  answer  to  these  heavy  charges  before  the 
court  to-morrow  morning.  In  executing  this  duty,  friends 
and  fellow-citizans,  you  are  to  use  courage  and  discretion. 
Courage,  that  you  may  not  be  daunted  by  any  lawless 
attempts  that  this  man  may  make  with  his  rifle  and  hie 
dogs,  to  oppose  you ;  and  discretion,  which  here  means 
caution  and  prudence,  that  he  may  not  escape  from  this  sud 
den  attack ;  and  for  other  good  reasons  that  I  need  not  men 
tion.  You  will  form  yourselves  in  a  complete  circle  around 
his  hut,  and  at  the  word  *  Advance,'  called  aloud  by  me,  yon 
will  rush  forward,  and,  without  giving  the  criminal  time 
for  deliberation,  enter  his  dwelling  by  force,  and  make  him 
your  prisoner.  Spread  yourselves  for  this  purpose,  while  I 
shall  descend  to  the  shore  with  a  deputy,  to  take  charge  of 
that  point ;  and  all  communications  must  be  made  directly 
to  me,  under  the  bank  in  front  of  the  hut,  where  I  shall 
station  myself,  and  remain  in  order  to  receive  them." 

This  speech,  which  Richard  had  been  studying  during  his 
walk,  had  the  effect  that  all  similar  performances  produce, 
of  bringing  the  dangers  of  the  expedition  immediately  before 
the  eyes  of  his  forces.  The  men  divided,  some  plunging 
deeper  into  the  forest,  in  order  to  gain  their  stations  without 
giving  an  alarm,  and  others  continuing  to  advance,  at  a  gait 
that  would  allow  the  whole  party  to  go  in  order :  but  all 
devising  the  best  plan  to  repulse  the  attack  of  a  dog,  or  to 
escape  a  rifle  bullet.  It  was  a  moment  of  dread  expecta 
tion  and  interest. 

When  the  Sheriff  thought  time  enough  had  elapsed  for 
the  different  d  visions  of  his  force  to  arrive  at  their  stations, 
he  raised  his  v;ice  in  the  silence  of  the  forest,  and  shouted 
the  watchword.  The  sounds  played  among  the  arched 
branches  of  the  trees  in  hollow  cadences ;  but  when  the  last 
sinking  tone  was  lost  on  the  ear,  in  place  of  the  expected 
howls  of  the  dogs,  no  other  noises  were  returned  but  the 
crackling  of  torn  branches  and  dried  sticks,  as  they  yielded 
oefore  the  advancing  steps  of  the  officers.  Even  this  soon 
oeased,  us  if  by  a  common  consent,  when  the  curiosity  Mid 
94 


870  THE   PIONEERS. 

impatience  of  the  Sheriff  getting  the  complete  ascendency ' 
over  discretion,  he  rushed  up  tlie  bank,  and  in  a  moment^ 
stood  on  the  little  piece  of  cleared  ground  in  front  of  the'j 
spot  where  Natty  had  so  long  lived.  To  his  amazement,  in 
place  of  the  hut  he  saw  only  its  smouldering  ruins. 

The  party  gradually  drew  together  about  the  heap  of 
ashes  and  the  ends  of  smoking  logs ;  while  a  dim  flame  in 
the  centre  of  the  ruin,  which  still  found  fuel  to  feed  its 
lingering  life,  threw  its  pale  fight,  flickering  with  the  passing 
currents  of  the  air,  around  the  circle,  —  now  showing  a  face 
with  eyes  fixed  in  astonishment,  and  then  glancing  to  an 
other  countenance,  leaving  the  former  shaded  in  the  obscu 
rity  of  night.  Not  a  voice  was  raised  in  inquiry,  nor  an 
exclamation  made  in  astonishment.  The  transition  from 
excitement  to  disappointment  was  too  powerful  for  speech : 
and  even  Richard  lost  the  use  of  an  organ  that  was  seldom 
known  to  fail  him. 

The  whole  group  were  yet  in  the  fullness  of  their  sur 
prise,  when  a  tall  form  stalked  from  the  gloom  into  the 
circle,  treading  down  the  hot  ashes  and  dying  embers  with 
callous  feet ;  and  standing  over  the  light,  lifted  his  cap,  and 
axposed  the  bare  head  and  weather-beaten  features  of  the 
Leather-Stocking.  For  a  moment  he  gazed  at  the  dusky 
figures  who  surrounded  him,  more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger, 
before  he  spoke. 

"  What  would  ye  with  an  old  and  helpless  man  ?  "  ho 
said.  "  You've  driven  God's  creaturs  from  the  wilderness, 
where  his  providence  had  put  them  for  his  own  pleasure ; 
and  you've  brought  in  the  troubles  and  diviltries  of  the  law, 
where  no  man  was  ever  .known  to  disturb  another.  You 
have  driven  me,  that  have  lived  fort/  long  years  of  my  ap* 
pointed  time  in  this  very  spot,  from  my  home  and  the  sliel- 
lor  of  my  head,  lest  you  should  put  your  wicked  feet  and 
\vasty  ways  in  my  cabin.  You've  driven  me  to  burn  these 
logs,  under  which  I've  eaten  and  drunk  —  the  first  of 
Heaven's  gifts,  and  the  other  of  the  pure  springs  —  for  the 
half  of  a  hundred  years  ;  and  to  mourn  the  ashes  under  my 
feet,  as  a  man  would  weep  and  mourn  for  the  children  of  his 
body.  Yrou've  rankled  the  heart  of  an  old  man,  that  hai 


THE  PIONEERS.  371 

never  harmed  you  or  your'n,  with  bitter  feelings  towards  hia 
kind,  at  a  time  when  his  thoughts  should  be  on  a  better 
world  ;  and  you've  driven  him  to  wish  that  the  beasts  of 
the  forest,  who  never  feast  on  the  blood  of  their  own  fami 
lies,  was  his  kindred  and  race  ;  and  now,  when  he  has  como 
to  see  the  last  brand  of  his  hut,  before  it  is  melted  into 
ashes,  you  follow  him  up,  at  midnight,  like  hungry  hounda 
on  the  track  of  a  worn-out  and  dying  deer.  What  more 
would  ye  have  ?  for  I  am  here  —  one  too  many.  I  como 
to  mourn,  not  to  fight ;  and,  if  it  is  God's  pleasure,  work 
your  will  on  me." 

When  the  old  man  ended,  he  stood,  with  the  light  glim 
mering  around  his  thinly-covered  head,  looking  earnestly  at 
the  group,  which  receded  from  the  pile  with  an  involuntary 
movement,  without  the  reach  of  the  quivering  rays,  leaving 
a  free  passage  for  his  retreat  into  the  bushes,  where  pur 
suit,  in  the  dark,  would  have  been  fruitless.  Natty  seemed 
not  to  regard  this  advantage  ;  but  stood  facing  each  indi 
vidual  in  the  circle  in  succession,  as  if  to  see  who  would  be 
the  first  to  arrest  him.  After  a  pause  of  a  few  moments, 
Richard  began  to  rally  his  confused  faculties  ;  and,  advanc 
ing,  apologized  for  his  duty,  and  made  him  his  prisoner. 
The  party  now  collected  ;  and,  preceded  by  the  Sheriff,  with 
Natty  in  their  centre,  they  took  their  way  towards  the  vil 
lage. 

During  the  walk,  divers  questions  were  put  to  the  prisoner, 
concerning  his  reasons  for  burning  the  hut,  and  whither  Mo 
hegan  had  retreated  ;  but  to  all  of  them  he  observed  a  pro 
found  silence,  until,  fatigued  with  their  previous  duties,  and 
the  lateness  of  the  hour,  the  Sheriff  and  his  followers  reached 
the  village,  and  dispersed  to  their  several  places  of  rest,  aftei 
turning  the  key  of  a  jail  on  the  aged  and  apparently  friend* 
less  Leather-Stocking. 


872  THE  PIONEERS 


CHAPTER   XXXIH. 

Fetch  here  the  stocks,  ho ! 

You  stubborn,  ancient  knave,  you  reverend  braggart, 

We'll  teach  you. 

KINO  LEAR. 

THE  long  days  and  early  sun  of  July  allowed  time  for  • 
gathering  of  the  interested,  before  the  little  bell  of  the  acad 
emy  announced  that  the  appointed  hour  had  arrived  for  admin 
istering  right  to  the  wronged,  arid  punishment  to  the  guilty. 
Ever  since  the  dawn  of  day,  the  highways  and  wooclpaths 
that,  issuing  from  the  forests,  and  winding  along  the  sides 
of  the  mountains,  centered  in  Templeton,  had  been  thronged 
with  equestrians  and  footmen,  bound  to  the  haven  of  justice. 
There  was  to  be  seen  a  well-clad  yeoman,  mounted  on  a 
sleek,  switch-tailed  steed,  ambling  along  the  highway,  with 
his  red  face  elevated  in  a  manner  that  said,  "  I  have  paid 
for  my  land,  and  fear  no  man  ;  "  while  his  bosom  was  swell 
ing  with  the  pride  of  being  one  of  the  grand  inquest  of  the  ^ 
county.  At  his  side  rode  a  companion,  his  equal  in  inde 
pendence  of  feeling,  perhaps,  but  his  inferior  in  thrift,  as  in 
property  and  consideration.  This  was  a  professed  dealer  in 
lawsuits,  —  a  man  whose  name  appeared  in  every  calendar, 
—  whose  substance,  gained  in  the  multifarious  expedients 
of  a  settler's  changeable  habits,  was  wasted  in  feeding  the 
harpies  of  the  courts.  He  was  endeavoring  to  impress  the 
mind  of  the  grand  juror  with  the  merits  of  a  cause  now  a, 
issue.  Along  with  these  was  a  pedestrian,  who,  having 
thrown  a  rifle  frock  over  his  shirt,  and  placed  his  best  woof 
hat  above  his  sunburnt  visage,  had  issued  from  his  retreat 
in  the  woods  by  a  footpath,  and  was  striving  to  keep  com 
pany  with  the  others,  on  his  way  to  hear  and  to  decide 
the  disputes  of  his  neighbors,  as  a  petit  juror.  Fifty  similar 
little  knots  of  countrymen  might  have  been  seen,  ou  that 


THE  PIONEERS.  878 

morning,  journeying  towards  the  shire-town  on  the  same 
errand. 

By  ten  o'clock  the  streets  of  the  village  were  filled  with 
busy  f  ices ;  some  talking  of  their  private  concerns,  some 
listening  to  a  popular  expounder  of  political  creeds ;  and 
others  gaping  in  at  the  open  stores,  admiring  the  finery,  or 
examining  scythes,  axes,  and  such  other  manufactures  as 
attracted  their  curiosity  or  excited  their  admiration.  A  few 
women  were  in  the  crowd,  most  carrying  infants,  and  fol 
lowed,  at  a  lounging,  listless  gait,  by  their  rustic  lords  and 
masters.  There  was  one  young  couple,  in  whom  connubial 
love  was  yet  fresh,  walking  at  a  respectful  distance  from 
each  other ;  \tfiile  the  swain  directed  the  timid  steps  of  hia 
bride,  by  a  gallant  offering  of  a  thumb  ! 

At  the  first  stroke  of  the,  bell,  Richard  issued  from  the 
door  of  the  u  Bold  Dragoon,"  flourishing  a  sheathed  sword, 
that  he  was  fond  of  saying  his  ancestors  had  carried  in  one 
of  Cromwell's  victories,  and  crying,  in  an  authoritative  tone, 
to  "  Clear  the  way  for  the  court."  The  order  was  obeyed 
promptly,  though  not  servilely,  the  members  of  the  crowd 
nodding  familiarly  to  the  members  of  the  procession  as  it 
passed.  A  party  of  constables  with  their  staves  followed 
the  Sheriff,  preceding  Marmaduke,  and  four  plain,  grave- 
looking  yeomen,  who  were  his  associates  on  the  bench. 
There  .was  nothing  to  distinguish  these  subordinate  judges 
from  the  better  part  of  the  spectators,  except  gravity,  which 
they  affected  a  little  more  than  common,  and  that  one  of 
their  number  was  attired  in  an  old-fashioned  military  coat, 
with  skirts  that  reached  no  lower  than  the  middle  of  hia 
thighs,  and  bearing  two  little  silver  epaulettes,  not  half  so 
big  as  a  modern  pair  of  shoulder-knots.  This  gentleman 
was  a  colonel  of  the  militia,  in  attendance  on  a  court-mar 
tial,  who  found  leisure  to  steal  a  moment  from  L:s  rnili'Arj 
to  attend  to  his  civil  jurisdiction  ;  but  this  incongruity  ex 
cited  neither  notice  nor  comment.  Three  or  four  clean- 
shaved  lawyers  followed,  as  meekly  as  if  they  were  lamba 
going  to  the  slaughter.  One  or  two  of  their  number  had 
contrived  to  obtain  an  air  of  scholastic  gravity  by  wearing 
•pectacles.  The  rear  was  brought  up  by  another  posse  of 


374  THE  PIONEERS. 

constables,  and  the  mob  followed  the  whole  into  the  room 
where  the  court  held  its  sittings. 

The  edifice  was  composed  of  a  basement  of  squared  logs, 
perforated  here  and  there  with  small  grated  windows, 
through  which  a  few  wistful  faces  were  gazing  at  the  crowd 
without.  Among  the  captives  were  the  guilty,  downcast 
countenances  of  the  counterfeiters,  and  the  simple  but 
honest  features  of  the  Leather-Stocking.  The  dungeons 
were  to  be  distinguished,  externally,  from  the  debtors' 
apartments  only  by  the  size  of  the  apertures,  the  thickness 
of  the  grates,  and  by  the  heads  of  the  spikes  that  were 
driven  into  the  logs  as  a  protection  against  the  illegal  use 
of  edge-tools.  The  upper  story  was  of  franre-work,  regu 
larly  covered  with  boards,  and  contained  one  room  decently 
fitted  up  for  the  purposes  of  justice.  A  bench,  raised  on  a 
narrow  platform  to  the  height  of  a  man  above  the  floor, 
and  protected  in  front  by  a  light  railing,  ran  along  one  of 
its  sides.  In  the  centre  was  a  seat,  furnished  with  rude 
arms,  that  was  always  filled  by  the  presiding  judge.  In 
front,  on  a  level  with  the  floor  of  the  room,  was  a  large 
table  covered  with  green  baize,  and  surrounded  by  benches ; 
and  at  either  of  its  ends  were  rows  of  seats,  rising  one  over 
the  other,  for  jury  boxes.  Each  of  these  divisions  was 
surrounded  by  a  railing.  The  remainder  of  the  room  was 
an  open  square,  appropriated  to  the  spectators. 

"When  the  judges  were  seated,  the  lawyers  had  taken 
possession  of  the  table,  and  the  noise  of  moving  feet  had 
seased  in  the  area,  the  proclamations  were  made  iu  the 
usual  form,  the  jurors  were  sworn,  the  charge  was  g.ven, 
and  the  court  proceeded  to  hear  the  business  before  them. 

We  shall  not  detain  the  reader  with  a  description  of  the 
captious  discussions  that  occupied  the  court  for  the  first  two 
ttours.  Judge  Temple  had  impressed  on  the  jury,  in  his 
charge,  the  necessity  for  despatch  on  their  part,  recommend 
ing  to  their  notice,  from  motives  of  humanity,  the  prisoners 
in  the  jail,  as  the  first  objects  of  their  attention.  Accord 
ingly,  after  the  period  we  have  mentioned  had  elapsed,  the 
cry  of  the  officer  to  "  Clear  the  way  for  the  grand  jury," 
Announced  the  entrance  of  that  body.  The  usual  formi 


THE   PIONEERS.  875 

rere  observed,  when  the  foreman  handed  up  to  the  bench 
two  bills,  on  both  of  which  the  Judge  observed,  at  the  first 
glance  of  his  eye,  the  name  of  Nathaniel  Bumppo.  It  was 
a  leisure  moment  with  the  court ;  some  low  whispering 
passed  between  the  bench  and  the  Sheriff,  who  gave  a 
signal  to  his  officers,  and  in  a  very  few  minutes  the  silence 
that  prevailed  was  interrupted  by  a  general  movement  in  the 
outer  crowd  ;  when  presently  the  Leather-Stocking  made 
his  appearance,  ushered  into  the  criminal's  bar  under  the 
custody  of  two  constables.  The  hum  ceased,  the  people 
closed  into  the  open  space  again,  and  the  silence  soon  be 
came  so  deep,  that  the  hard  breathing  of  the  prisoner  was 
audible. 

Natty  was  dressed  in  his  buckskin  garments,  without  his 
coat,  in  place  of  which  he  wore  only  a  shirt  of  coarse  linen- 
check,  fastened  at  his  throat  by  the  sinew  of  a  deer,  leav 
ing  his  red  neck  and  weather-beaten  face  exposed  and  bare. 
It  was  the  first  time  that  he  had  ever  crossed  the  threshold 
of  a  court  of  justice,  and  curiosity  seemed  to  be  strongly 
blended  with  his  personal  feelings.  He  raised  his  eyes  to 
the  bench,  thence  to  the  jury-boxes,  the  bar,  and  the  crowd 
without,  meeting  everywhere  looks  fastened  on  himself. 
After  surveying  his  own  person,  as  searching  the  cause  of 
this  unusual  attraction,  he  once  more  turned,  his  face  around 
the  assemblage,  and  opened  his  mouth  in  one  of  his  silent 
and  remarkable  laughs. 

"  Prisoner,  remove  your  cap,"  said  Judge  Temple. 

The  order  was  either  unheard  or  unheeded. 

"  Nathaniel  Bumppo,  be  uncovered,"  repeated  the  Judge. 

Natty  started  at  the  sound  of  his  name,  and  raising  his 
*ace  earnestly  towards  the  bench,  he  said,  — 

"  Anan  ! " 

Mr.  Lippet  arose  from  his  seat  at  the  table,  and  whb 
pered  in  the  ear  of  the  prisoner  ;  when  Natty  gave  him  a 
nod  of  assent,  and  took  the  deerskin  covering  from  his  head. 

"  Mr.  District  Attorney,"  said  the  Judge,  "  the  prisoner 
ie  ready  ;  we  wait  for  the  indictment." 

The  duties  of  public  prosecutor  were  discharged  *oy 
Dirck  Van  der  School,  who  adjusted  his  spectacles,  cast  • 


876  THE  PIONEERS. 

cautious  look  around  him  at  his  brethren  of  the  bar,  whicb 
he  ended  by  throwing  his  head  aside  so  as  to  catch  one 
glance  over  the  glasses,  when  he  proceeded  to  read  the  bill 
aloud.  It  was  the  usual  charge  for  an  assault  and  battery 
on  the  person  of  Hiram  Doolittle,  and  was  couched  in  the 
ancient  language  of  such  instruments,  especial  care  having 
been  taken  by  the  scribe  not  to  omit  the  name  of  a  single 
offensive  weapon  known  to  the  law.  When  he  had  done, 
Mr.  Van  der  School  removed  his  spectacles,  which  he  closed 
and  placed  in  his  pocket,  seemingly  for  the  pleasure  of 
again  opening  and  replacing  them  on  his  nose.  After  this 
evolution  was  repeated  once  or  twice,  he  handed  the  bill 
over  to  Mr.  Lippet,  with  a  cavalier  air,  that  said  as  much 
as  "  Pick  a  hole  in  that  if  you  can." 

Natty  listened  to  the  charge  with  great  attention,  lean 
ing  forward  towards  the  reader  with  an  earnestness  that 
denoted  his  interest ;  and  when  it  was  ended,  he  raised  his 
tall  body  to  the  utmost,  and  drew  a  long  sigh.  All  eyes 
were  turned  to  the  prisoner,  whose  voice  was  vainly  ex 
pected  to  break  the  -stillness  of  the  room. 

"  You  have  heard  the  presentment  that  the  grand  jury 
have  made,  Nathaniel  Bumppo,"  said  the  Judge  ;  "  what  do 
you  plead  to  the  charge  ?  " 

The  old  man  dropped  his  head  for  a  moment  in  a  re 
flecting  attitude,  and  then  raising  if,  he  laughed  before  he 
answered,  — 

"  That  I  handled  the  man  a  little  rough  or  so,  is  not  to 
be  denied  ;  but  that  there  was  occasion  to  make  use  of  all 
the  things  that  the  gentleman  has  spoken  of,  is  downright 
untrue.  I  am  not  much  of  a  wrestler,  seeing  that  I'm 
getting  old ;  but  I  was  out  among  the  Scotch-Irishers  — - 
let  me  see  —  it  must  have  been  as  long  ago  as  the  first  of 
die  old  war  "  — 

"  Mr.  Lippet,  if  you  are  retained  for  the  prisoner,"  in'«r- 
rooted  Judge  Temple,  "instruct  your  client  how  to  plead 
V  not,  the  court  will  assign  him  counsel." 

Aroused  from  studying  the  indictment  by  this  appeal,  th« 
Attorney  got  up,  and  after  a  short  dialogue  with  the  huntei 
*i  a  low  voice,  he  informed  the  court  that  they  were  ready 
wo  proceed. 


THE  PIONEERS.  877 

*  Do  you  plead  guilty  or  not  guilty  ?  "  said  the  Judgo. 

u  I  may  say  not  guilty  with  a  clean  conscience,"  returned 
Natty ;  "  for  there's  no  guilt  in  doing  what's  right ;  and  I'd 
rather  died  on  the  spot,  that  had  him  put  foot  in  the  hut  at 
that  moment." 

Richard  started  at  this  declaration,  and  bent  his  eves 
significantly  on  Hiram,  who  returned  the  look  with  a  slight 
movement  of  his  eyebrows. 

"Proceed  to  open  the  cause,  Mr.  District  Attorney,* 
continued  the  Judge.  "Mr.  Clerk,  enter  the  plea  of  not 
guilty." 

After  a  short  opening  address  from  Mr.  Van  der  School, 
Hiram  was  summoned  to  the  bar  to  give  his  testimony.  It 
was  delivered  to  the  letter,  perhaps,  but  with  all  that  moral 
coloring  which  can  be  conveyed  under  such  expressions  us, 
"  thinking  no  harm,"  "  feeling  it  my  bounden  duty  as  a 
magistrate,"  and  "  seeing  that  the  constable  was  back'ard  in 
the  business."  When  he  had  done,  and  the  district  at 
torney  declined  putting  any  further  interrogatories,  Mr. 
Lippet  arose,  with  an  air  of  keen  investigation,  and  asked 
the  following  questions :  — 

"Are  you  a  constable  of  this  county,  sir?  " 

"  No,  sir,"* aid  Hiram,  "I'm  only  a  justice-peace." 

"I  ask  you,  Mr.  Doolittle,  in  the  face  of  this  court, 
putting  it  to  your  conscience  and  your  knowledge  of  the  law, 
whether  you  had  any  right  to  enter  that  man's  dwelling  ?  " 

"  Hem  ! "  said  Hiram,  undergoing  a  violent  struggle  be 
tween  his  desire  for  vengeance  and  his  love  of  legal  fame  ; 
u  I  do  suppose  —  that  in  —  that  is  —  strict  law  —  that  sup 
posing  —  maybe  I  hadn't  a  real  —  lawful  right ;  but  as 
the  case  was  —  and  Billy  was  so  back'ard  —  I  thought  I 
might  come  for'ard  in  the  business." 

"  I  ask  you  again,  sir,"  continued  the  lawyer,  following  up 
Sis  success,  "  whether  this  old,  this  friendless  old  man,  did 
>r  did  not  repeatedly  forbid  your  entrance?" 

"  Why,  I  must  say,"  said  Hiram,  "  that  he  was  consider 
able  cross-grained :  not  what  I  call  clever,  seeing  that  it  wai 
•nly  one  neighbor  wanting  to  go  into  the  house  of  another." 

*  O !  then  you  own  it  was   only  meant  for  a  neighborly 


878  THE  PIONEEB*. 

visit  on  your  part,  and  without  the  sanction  of  law.  Re« 
member,  gen  lemen,  the  words  of  the  witness,  '  one  neighbor 
wanting  to  enter  the  house  of  another."  Now,  sir,  I  ask 
you  if  Nathaniel  Bumppo  did  not  again  and  again  order  you 
not  to  enter  ?  " 

"  There  was  some  words  passed  between  us,"  said  Hiram, 
"  but  I  read  the  warrant  to  him  aloud." 

"  I  repeat  my  question  ;  did  he  tell  you  not  to  enter  hia 
habitation  ?  " 

"  There  was  a  good  deal  pas&nd  betwixt  us  —  but  I've 
the  warrant  in  my  pocket ;  may*>e  the  court  would  wish  to 
see  it  ?  " 

"  Witness,"  'said  Judge  Temple,  "  answer  the  question 
directly ;  did  or  did  not  the  prisoner  forbid  your  entering 
his  hut?" 

"Why,  I  some  think"  — 

"  Answer  without  equivr>?*tion,"  continued  the  Judge 
sternly. 

«  He  did." 

"  And  did  you  attempt  fr>  enter  after  this  order  ?  " 

"  I  did ;  but  the  warrant  was  in  my  hand." 

"  Proceed,  Mr.  Lippefc,  with  your  examination." 

But  the  attorney  saw  fhat  the  impression  was  in  favor  of 
hJs  client,  and,  waving  h's  hand  with  a  supercilious  manner, 
as  if  unwilling  to  i/isri'fc  the  understanding  of  the  jury  with  ' 
any  further  defense,  he  replied,  — 

"  No,  sir ;  I  leave  ?t  for  your  honor  to  charge  ;  I  rest  my 
case  here." 

"  Mr.  District  Afcrney,"  said  the  Judge,  "  have  you  any- 
tiling  to  say  ?  " 

Mr.  Van  der  School  removed  his  spectacles,  folded  them, 
ai:d  replacing  thorn  once  more  on  his  nose,  eyed  the  other 
bill  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  and  then  said,  looking  at  the 
bar  Dver  the  top  of  his  glasses,  — 

"  I  shall  rest  the  prosecution  here,  if  the  court  please." 

Judoje  Terople  arose  and  began  the  charge. 

"  Gentierp-en  of  the  jury,"  he  said,  "you  have  heard  the 
,  and    I    shall  detain  you  but  a  moment.     If  an 
r>rvt  with  resistance  in  the  execution  of  a  process,  ha 


THE  PIOXEEBS.  879 

has  an  undoubted  right  to  call  any  citizen  to  his  assistance  $ 

and  the  acts  of  such  assistant  come  within  the  protection 
of  the  law.  I  shall  leave  you  to  judge,  gentlemen,  from  the 
testimony,  how  far  the  witness  in  this  prosecution  can  be  so 
considered,  feeling  less  reluctance  to  submit  the  case  thus 
informally  to  your  decision,  because  there  is  yet  another  in 
dictment  to  be  tried,  which  involves  heavier  charges  against 
the  unfortunate  prisoner." 

The  tone  of  Marmaduke  was  mild  and  insinuating,  an<? 
as  his  sentiments  were  given  with  such  apparent  impartiality, 
they  did  not  fail  of  carrying  due  weight  with  the  jury.  The 
grave-looking  yeomen  who  composed  this  tribunal,  laid  their 
heads  together  for  a  few  minutes,  without  leaving  the  box, 
when  tne  foreman  arose,  and  after  the  forms  of  the  court 
were  duly  observed,  he  pronounced  the  prisoner  to  be  — 

"  Not  guilty." 

"  You  are  acquitted  of  this  charge,  Nathaniel  Bumppo," 
said  the  Judge. 

"  Anan  !  "  said  Natty. 

"  You  are  found  not  guilty  of  striking  and  assaulting  Mr 
Doolittle." 

"  No,  no,  I'll  not  deny  but  that  I  took  him  a  little  roughly 
by  the  shoulders,"  said  Natty,  looking  about  him  with  great 
simplicity,  "  and  that  I "  — 

"  You  are  acquitted,"  interrupted  the  Judge,  "  and  there 
is  nothing  further  to  be  said  or  done  in  the  matter." 

A  look  of  joy  lighted  up  the  features  of  the  old  man,  who 
now  comprehended  the  case,  and  placing  his  cap  eagerly  on 
his  head  again,  he  threw  up  the  bar  of  his  little  prison,  and 
said  feelingly,  — 

"  I  must  say  this  for  you,  Judge  Temple,  that  the  law  has 
not  been  so  hard  on  me  as  I  dreaded.  I  hope  God  will 
bless  you  for  the  kind  things  you've  done  to  me  this  day." 

But  the  staff  of  the  constable  was  opposed  to  his  egress, 
and  Mr.  Lippet  whispered  a  few  words  in  his  ear,  when  the, 
aged  hunter  sank  back  into  his  place,  and,  removing  his 
cap,  stroked  down  the  remnants  of  his  gray  and  sandy  locks, 
with  an  air  of  mortification  mingled  with  submission. 

"  Mr.  District  Attorney,"  said  Judge  Temple,  affecting  to 


880  THE  PIONEERS. 

busy  himself  with  his  minutes,  "  proceed  with  the  second 
indictment." 

Mr.  Van  der  School  took  great  care  that  no  part  of  the 
presentment,  which  he  now  read,  should  be  lost  on  his  audi 
tors.  It  accused  the  prisoner  of  resisting  the  execution  of 
a  search-warrant,  by  force  of  arms,  and  particularized,  u> 
the  vague  language  of  the  law,  among  a  variety  of  other 
weapons,  the  use  of  the  rifle.  This  was  indeed  a  more 
serious  charge  than  an  ordinary  assault  and  battery,  and  a 
corresponding  degree  of  interest  was  manifested  by  the 
spectators  in  its  result,  The  prisoner  was  duly  arraigned, 
and  his  plea  again  demanded.  Mr.  Lippet  had  anticipated 
the  answers  of  Natty,  and  in  a  whisper  advised  him  how  to 
plead.  But  the  feelings  of  the  old  hunter  were  awakened 
by  some  of  the  expressions  of  the  indictment,  and  forgetful 
of  his  caution,  he  exclaimed,  — 

"  'Tis  a  wicked  untruth  ;  I  crave  no  man's  blood.  Them 
thieves,  the  Iroquois,  won't  say  it  to  my  face,  that  I  ever 
thirsted  after  man's  blood.  I  have  fou't  as  a  soldier  that 
feared  his  Maker  and  his  officer,  but  I  never  pulled  trigger 
on  any  but  a  warrior  that  was  up  and  awake.  No  man 
can  say  that  I  ever  struck  even  a  Mingo  in  his  blanket. 
I  -believe  there's  some  who  thinks  there's  no  God  in  a 
wilderness !  " 

"  Attend  to  your  plea,  Bumppo,"  said  the  Judge ;  "  yoik 
hear  that  you  are  accused  of  using  your  rifle  against  an 
officer  of  justice?  are  you  guilty  or  not  guilty  ?" 

By  this  time  the  irritated  feelings  of  Natty  had  found 
rent ;  and  he  rested  on  the  bar  for  a  moment,  in  a  musing 
posture,  when  he  lifted  his  face,  with  his  silent  laugh,  au'l, 
pointing  to  where  the.  wood-chopper  stood,  he  said,  — 

"  Would  Billy  Kirby  be  standing  there,  d'ye  think,  if  I 
had  used  the  rifle  ?  " 

"  Then  you  deny  it,"  said  Mr.  Lippet ;  "  you  plead  not 
guilty?" 

"  Sartain,"  said  Natty  ;  "  Billy  knows  that  I  never  fired 
at  all.  Billy,  do  you  remember  the  turkey  last  winter? 
ah,  mo !  that  was  better  than  common  firing ;  but  I  can'1 
shoot  as  I  used  to  could." 


THE  PIONEERS. 

a  Enter  the  plea  of  not  guilty,"  said  Judge  Temple, 
itrongly  affected  by  the  simplicity  of  the  prisoner. 

Hiram  was  again  sworn,  and  his  testimony  given  on  the 
second  charge.  He  had  discovered  his  former  error,  and 
proceeded  more  cautiously  than  before.  He  related  very 
distinctly,  and  for  the  man,  with  amazing  terseness,  the  sus 
picion  against  the  hunter,  the  complaint,  the  issuing  of  the 
warrant,  and  the  swearing  in  of  Kirby ;  all  of  which,  he 
affirmed,  were  done  in  clue  form  of  law.  He  then  added 
the  manner  in  which  the  constable  had  been  received  ;  and 
etated  distinctly,  that  Natty  had  pointed  the  rifle  at  Kirby, 
and  threatened  his  life,  if  he  attempted  to  execute  his 
duty.  All  this  was  confirmed  by  Jotham,  who  was  observed 
to  adhere  closely  to  the  story  of  the  magistrate.  Mr. 
Lippet  conducted  an  artful  cross-examination  of  these  two 
witnesses,  but  after  consuming  much  time,  was  compelled  to 
relinquish  the  attempt  to  obtain  any  advantage,  in  despair. 

At  length  the  district  attorney  called  the  wood-chopper 
to  the  bar.  Billy  gave  an  extremely  confused  account  of 
the  whole  affair,  although  he  evidently  aimed  at  the  truth, 
until  Mr.  Van  der  School  aided  him,  by  asking  some  direct 
questions :  — 

"It  appears  from  examining  the  papers,  that  you  de 
manded  admission  into  the  hut  legally ;  so  you  were  put  in 
bodily  fear  by  his  rifle  and  threats  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  mind  them  that,  man,"  said  Billy,  snapping  hie 
fingers ;  "  I  should  be  a  poor  stick  to  mind  old  Leather- 
Stocking." 

''But  I  understood  you  to  say  (referring  to  your  previ 
ous  words  (as  delivered  here  in  court)  in  the  commencement 
of  your  testimony)  that  you  thought  he  meant  to  shoot 
FOU?" 

"  To  be  sure  I  did  ;  and  so  would  you  too,  squire,  if  yo» 
had  seen  the  chap  dropping  a  muzzle  that  never  misses,  anO 
cocking  an  eye  that  has  a  natural  squint  by  long  practice. 
I  thought  there  would  be  a  dust  on't,  and  my  back  was  up 
at  once ;  but  Leather-Stocking  gi'n  up  the  skin,  and  so  tho 
matter  ended." 

"  Ah  1  Billy,"  said   Natty,  shaking   his  head,  "'twas    a 


882  THE  PIONEERS. 

lucky  thought  iii  me  to  throw  out  the  hide,  or  there  might 
have  been  blood  spilt ;  and  I'm  sure,  if  it  had  been  your'n, 
I  should  have  mourned  it  sorely  the  little  while  I  have  to 
itay." 

"  Well,  Leather-Stocking,"  returned  Billy,  facing  the 
prisoner  with  a  freedom  and  familiarity  that  utterly  disre 
garded  the  presence  of  the  court,  "  as  you  are  on  the  sub 
ject,  it  may  be  that  you've  no  "  — 

"  Go  on  with  your  examination,  Mr.  District  Attorney." 

That  gentleman  eyed  the  familiarity  between  his  witness 
and  the  prisoner  with  manifest  diogust,  and  indicated  to  the 
court  that  he  was  done. 

"  Then  you  didn't  feel  frightened,  Mr.  Kirby  ?  "  said  the 
counsel  for  the  prisoner. 

"  Me  !  no,"  said  Billy,  casting  his  eyes  over  his  own  huge 
frame  with  evident  self-satisfaction  ;  "  I'm  not  to  be  skeared 
so  easy." 

"  You  look  like  a  hardy  man ;  where  were  you  born, 
«irr"' 

"  Varmount  State ;  'tis  a  mountaynious  place,  but  there's 
a  stiff  soil,  and  it's  pretty  much  wooded  with  beech  and 
maple." 

"  I  have  always  heard  so,"  said  Mr.  Lippet,  soothingly. 
"  You  have  been  used  to  the  rifle  yourself,  in  that  country?  " 

"  I  pull  the  second  best  trigger  in  this  county.  I  knock 
under  to  Natty  Bumppo  there,  sin'  he  shot  the  pigeon." 

Leather-Stocking  raised  his  head,  and  laughed  again, 
when  he  abruptly  thrust  out  a  wrinkled  hand,  and  said,  — 

"  You're  young  yet,  Billy,  and  haven't  seen  the  matches 
that  I  have  ;  but  here's  my  hand  ;  I  bear  no  malice  to  you. 
I  don't." 

Mr.  Lippet  allowed  this  conciliatory  offering  to  be  ir 
copted,  and  judiciously  paused,  while  the  spirit  of  peace  w.-t 
exercising  its  influence  over  the  two;  but  the  Judge  iutei- 
posed  his  authority. 

"  This  is  an  improper  place  for  such  dialogues,"  he  said 
u  Proceed  with  your  examination  of  this  witness,  Mr.  Lippet, 
or  I  shall  order  the  next." 

The  attorney  started,  as  if  unconscious  of  any  impro 
priety,  and  continued,  — 


THE  PIONEERS.  883 

a  So  you  settled  the  matter  with  Natty  amicably  on  the 
ipot,  did  you  ?  " 

"  He  gi'n  me  the  skin,  and  I  didn't  want  to  quarrel  with, 
an  old  man ;  for  my  part,  I  see  no  such  mighty  matter  in 
shooting  a  buck  !  " 

"And  you  parted  friends?  and  you  would  never  have 
thought  of  bringing  the  business  up  before  a  court,  hadn't 
you  been  subpoenaed  ?  " 

"  I  don't  think  I  should ;  he  gi'n  the  skin,  and  I  didn't 
feel  a  hard  thought,  though  Squire  Doolittle  got  some 
affronted." 

"  I  have  done,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Lippet,  probably  relying  on 
the  charge  of  the  Judge,  as  he  again  seated  himself,  with  the 
air  of  a  man  who  felt  that  his  success  was  certain. 

When  Mr.  Van  der  School  arose  to  address  the  jury,  he 
commenced  by  saying,  — 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  I  should  have  interrupted  the 
leading  questions  put  by  the  prisoner's  counsel  (by  leading 
questions  I  mean  telling  him  what  to  say),  did  I  not  feel 
confident  that  the  law  of  the  land  was  superior  to  any  ad 
vantages  (I  mean  legal  advantages)  which  he  might  obtain 
by  his  art.  The  counsel  for  the  prisoner,  gentlemen,  has 
endeavored  to  persuade  you,  in  opposition  to  your  own  good 
sense,  to  believe  that  pointing  a  rifle  at  a  constable  (elected 
or  deputed)  is  a  very  innocent  affair ;  and  that  society  (I 
mean  the  commonwealth,  gentlemen)  shall  not  be  endan 
gered  thereby.  But  let  me  claim  your  attention,  while  we 
look  over  the  particulars  of  this  heinous  offense."  Here 
Mr.  Van  der  School  'favored  the  jury  with  an  abridgment 
of  the  testimony,  recounted  in  such  a  manner  as  utterly  to 
confuse  the  faculties  of  his  worthy  listeners.  After  this 
exhibition  he  closed  as  follows :  "  And  now,  gentlemen, 
having  thus  made  plain  to  your  senses  the  crime  of  which 
this  unfortunate  man  has  been  guilty  (unfortunate  both  on 
iccount  of  his  ignorance  and  his  guilt),  I  shall  leave  you  to 
our  own  consciences:  not  in  the  least  doubting  that  you 
will  see  the  importance  (notwithstanding  the  prisoner's 
counsel  (doubtless  relying  on  your  former  verdict)  wisheg 
to  appear  so  confident  of  success)  of  punishing  the  offender, 
Mid  asserting  the  dignity  of  the  laws." 


884  THE  PIONEERS. 

It  was  now  the  duty  of  the  Judge  to  deliver  his  charge. 
It  consisted  of  a  short,  comprehensive  summary  of  the  tes 
timony,  laying  bare  the  artifice  of  the  prisoner's  counsel, 
and  placing  the  facts  in  so  obvious  a  light,  that  they  could 
not  well  be  misunderstood.  "  Living  as  we  do,  gentlemen,** 
he  concluded,  "  on  the  skirts  of  society,  it  becomes  doubly 
necessary  to  protect  the  ministers  of  the  law.  If  you  be 
lieve  the  witnesses,  in  their  construction  of  the  acts  of 
the  prisoner,  it  is  your  duty  to  convict  him  ;  but  if  you  be 
lieve  that  the  old  man,  who  this  day  appears  before  you, 
meant  not  to  harm  the  constable,  but  was  acting  more  un 
der  the  influence  of  habit  than  by  the  instigations  of  malice, 
it  will  be  your  duty  to  judge  him,  but  to  do  it  with  lenity." 

As  before,  the  jury  did  not  leave  their  box ;  but,  after  a 
consultation  of  some  little  time,  their  foreman  arose,  and 
pronounced  the  prisoner,  — 

«  Guilty." 

There  was  but  little  surprise  manifested  in  the  court 
room  at  this  verdict,  as  the  testimony,  the  greater  part  of 
which  we  have  omitted,  was  too  clear  and  direct  to  be 
passed  over.  The  judges  seemed  to  have  anticipated  this 
sentiment,  for  a  consultation  was  passing  among  them  also, 
during  the  deliberation  of  the  jury,  and  the  preparatory 
movements  of  the  "  bench "  announced  the  coming  sen 
tence. 

"  Nathaniel  Bumppo,"  commenced  the  Judge,  making  the 
customary  pause. 

The  old  hunter,  who  had  been  musing  again,  with  his 
head  on  the  bar,  raised  himself,  and  cried,  with  a  prompt, 
military  tone, — 

"Here." 

The  Judge  waved  his  hand  for  silence,  and  proceeded, — 

"  In  forming  their  sentence,  the  court  have  been  gov 
erned  as  much  by  the  consideration  of  your  ignorance  of 
the  laws,  as  by  a  strict  sense  of  the  importance  of  punish 
ing  such  outrages  as  this  of  which  you  have  been  found 
guilty.  They  have  therefore  passed  over  the  obvious  pun 
ishment  of  whipping  on  the  bare  back,  in  irercy  to  your 
years  ;  but  as  the  dignity  of  the  law  requires  an  open  ex- 


THE  PIONEERS. 

hibition  of  the  consequences  sf  your  crime,  it  is  ordered 
that  you  be  conveyed  from  this  room  to  the  public  stocks, 
where  you  are  to  be  confined  for  one  hour :  that  you  pay  a 
fine  to  the  State  of  one  hundred  dollars ;  and  that  you  bo 
imprisoned  in  the  jail  of  this  county  for  one  calendar  month, 
and  furthermore,  that  your  imprisonment  do  not  cease  until 
the  said  fine  shall  be  paid.  I  feel  it  my  duty.  Nathaniel 
Bumppo  "  — 

"  And  where  should  I  get  the  money  ?  "  interrupted  the 
Leather-Stocking,  eagerly  ;  "  where  should  I  get  the  money  i 
you'll  take  away  the  bounty  on  the  painters,  because  I  cut 
the  throat  of  a  deer ;  and  how  is  an  old  man  to  find  oc 
much  gold  or  silver  in  the  woods  !  No,  no,  Judge;  .thinlt 
better  of  it,  and  don't  talk  of  shutting  me  up  in  a"  jail  for 
the  little  time  I  have  to  stay." 

"  If  you  have  anything  to  urge  against  the  passing  of 
the  sentence,  the  court  will  yet  hear  you,"  said  the  Judge, 
mildly. 

"  I  have  enough  to  say  agin  it,"  cried  Natty,  grasping 
the  bar  on  which  his  fingers  were  working  with  a  convulsed 
motion.  "  Where  am  I  to  get  the  money  ?  Let  me  out 
into  the  woods  and  hills,  where  I've  been  used  to  breathe 
the  clear  air,  and  though  I'm  threescore  and  ten,  if  you've 
left  game  enough  in  the  country,  I'll  travel  night  and  day 
but  I'll  make  you  up  the  sum  afore  the  season  is  over. 
Yes,  yes  ;  you  see  the  reason  of  the  thing,  and  the  wicked 
ness  of  shutting  up  an  old  man,  that  has  spent  his  days,  as 
one  may  say,  where  he  could  always  look  into  the  windows 
of  heaven." 

"  I  must  be  governed  by  the  law  "  • — 

"Talk  not  to  me  of  law,  Marmaduke  Temple,"  inter 
rupted  the  hunter.  "  Did  the  beast  of  the  forest  mind 
your  laws,  when  it  was  thirsty  and  hungering  for  the  blood 
of  your  own  child !  She  was  kneeling  to  her  God  for  a 
greater  favor  than  I  ask,  and  He  heard  hef ;  and  if  you 
low  say  no  to  my  prayers,  do  you  think  He  will  be  deaf?  " 

"  My  private  feelings  must  not  enter  into  "  — 

**  Hear  me,  Marmaduke  Temple,"   interrupted  the    old 
man,  with  melancholy  earnestness,  "  and  hear  reason.     I've 
81 


886  THE  PIONEERS. 

travelled  these  mountains  when  you  was  no  judge,  but  an 
infant  in  your  mother's  arms ;  and  I  feel  as  if  I  had  a  right 
and  a  privilege  to  travel  them  ag'in  afore  I  die.  Have  you 
forgot  the  time  that  you  come  on  to  the  lake  shore,  when 
there  wasn't  even  a  jail  to  lodge  in  ;  and  didn't  I  give  you 
my  own  bearskin  to  sleep  on,  and  the  fat  of  a  noble  buck 
to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  your  hunger  ?  Yes,  yes  —  you 
thought  it  no  sin  then  to  kill  a  deer !  And  this  I  did, 
though  I  had  no  reason  to  love  you,  for  you  had  never  done 
anything  but  harm  to  them  that  loved  and  sheltered  me. 
And  now,  will  you  shut  me  up  in  your  dungeons  to  pay  me 
for  my  kindness  ?  A  hundred  dollars !  where  should  I  get 
the  money  ?  No,  no ;  there's  them  that  says  hard  things 
of  you,  JMarmaduke  Temple,  but  you  ain't  so  bad  as  to  wish 
to  see  an  old  man  die  in  a  prison,  because  he  stood  up  for 
the  right.  Come,  friend,  let  me  pass  ;  it's  long  sin'  I've 
been  used  to  such  crowds,  and  I  crave  to  be  in  the  wooda 
agi'n.  Don't  fear  me,  Judge  —  I  bid  you  not  to  fear  me ; 
for  if  there's  beaver  enough  left  on  the  streams,  or  the  buck 
skins  will  sell  for  a  shilling  apiece,  you  shall  have  the  last 
penny  of  the  fine.  Where  are  ye,  pups !  come  away,  dogs ! 
come  away  !  we  have  a  grievous  toil  to  do  for  our  years, 
but  it  shall  be  done  —  yes,  yes,  I've  promised  it,  and  it 
shall  be  done ! " 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say,  that  the  movement  of  the  Leathor- 
Stocking  was  again  intercepted  by  the  constable ;  but  be 
fore  he  had  time  to  speak,  a  bustling  in  the  crowd,  and  a 
loud  hem,  drew  all  eyes  to  another  part  of  the  room. 

Benjamin  had  succeeded  in  edging  his, way  through  the 
people,  and  was  now  seen  balancing  his  short  body,  with 
one  foot  in  a  window  and  the  other  on  a  railing  of  the  jury- 
box.  To  the  amazement  of  the  whole  court,  the  steward 
was  evidently  preparing  to  speak.  After  a  good  deal  of 
difficulty,  he  succeeded  in  drawing  from  his  pocket  a  small 
bag,  and  then  found  utterance. 

"  If-so-be,"  he  said,  "  that  your  honor  is  agreeable .  to 
trust  the  poor  fellow  out  on  another  cruise  among  the 
beasts,  here's  a  small  matter  that  will  help  to  bring  down 
the  risk,  seeing  that  there's  just  thirty-fivo  of  your  Span- 


THE  PIONEERS.  887 

lards  in  it ;  and  I  wish,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  thai 
they  was  raal  British  guineas,  for  the  sake  of  the  old  boy. 
But  'tis  as  it  is  ;  and  if  Squire  Dickens  will  just  be  so  good 
as  to  overhaul  this  small  bit  of  an  account,  and  take  enough 
from  the  bag  to  settle  the  same,  he's  welcome  to  hold  on 
upon  the  rest,  till  such  time  as  the  Leather-Stocking  can 
grapple  with  them  said  beaver,  or,  for  that  matter,  forever , 
and  no  thanks  asked." 

As  Benjamin  concluded,  he  thrust  out  the  wooderf  regis 
ter  of  his  arrears  to  the  "  Bold  Drag3?n  "  with  one  hand, 
while  he  offered  his  bag  of  dollars  with  the  other.  Aston 
ishment  at  this  singular  interruption  produced  a  profound 
stillness  in  the  room,  which  was  only  interrupted  by  the 
Sheriff,  who  struck  his  sword  on  the  table,  and  cried,  — 

«  Silence !  " 

"  There  must  be  an  end  to  this,"  said  the  Judge,  strug 
gling  to  overcome  his  feelings.  "  Constable,  lead  the  pris 
oner  to  the  stocks.  Mr.  Clerk,  what  stands  next  on  the 
calendar  ?  " 

Natty  seemed  to  yield  to  his  destiny,  for  he  sank  his 
head  on  his  chest,  and  followed  the  officer  from  the  court 
room  in  silence.  The  crowd  moved  back  for  the  passage 
of  the  prisoner,  and  when  his  tall  form  was  seen  descending 
from  the  outer  door,  a  rush  of  the  people  to  the  scene  of 
hk  disgrace  followed. 


388  THE  PIONEERS 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

Ha !  ha !  look !  he  wears  cruel  garters . 


KIJIO 


THE  punishments  of  the  common  law  were  still  known, 
at  the  time  of  our  tale,  to  the  people  of  New  York  ;  and 
the  whipping-post,  and  its  companion,  the  stocks,  were  not 
yet  supplanted  by  the  more  merciful  expedients  of  the  pub 
lic  prison.  Immediately  in  front  of  the  jail  those  relics  of 
the  elder  times  were  situated,  as  a  lesson  of  precautionary 
justice  to  the  evil-doers  of  the  settlement.1 

Natty  followed  the  constables  to  this  spot,  bowing  his 
head  with  submission  to  a  power  that  he  was  unable  to  op 
pose,  and  surrounded  by  the  crowd  that  formed  a  circle 
about  his  person,  exhibiting  in  their  countenances  strong 
curiosity.  A  constable  raised  the  upper  part  of  the  stocks, 
and  pointed  with  his  linger  to  the  holes  where  the  old  man 
was  to  place  his  feet.  Without  making  the  least  objection 
to  the  punishment,  the  Leather-Stocking  quietly  seated 
himself  on  the  ground,  and  suffered  his  limbs  to  be  laid  in 
the  openings,  without  even  a  murmur ;  though  he  cast  oni 
glance  about  him,  in  quest  of  that  sympathy  that  human 
nature  always  seems  to  require  under  suffering.  If  he  met 
no  direct  manifestations  of  pity,  neither  did  he  see  any  un 
feeling  exultation,  or  Jiear  a  single  reproachful  epithet.  The 
character  of  the  mob,  if  it  could  be  called  by  such  a  name, 
was  that  of  attentive  subordination. 

The  constable  was  in  the  act  of  lowering  the  upper 
plank,  when  Benjamin,  who  had  pressed  close  to  the  side 
of  the  prisoner,  said,  in  his  hoarse  toi>;s,  as  if  seeking  for 
some  cause  to  create  a  quarrel,  — 

"  Where-away,  Master  Constable,  is  the  use  of  clapping  a 
man  in  them  here  bilboes?  it  neither  stops  his  grog  noi 
hurts  his  back  what  for  is  it  that  you  do  the  thing?  " 

i  Sec  Appendix,  Note  M. 


THE  PIONEEBS.  S89 

u  *Ti8  the  sentence  of  the  court,  Mr.  Penguillium,  and 
there's  law  for  it,  I  s'pose." 

"  Aye,  aye,  I  know  that  there's  law  for  the  thing  ;  but 
where-away  do  you  find  the  use,  I  say  ?  it  does  no  harm, 
and  it  only  keeps  a  man  by  the  heels  for  the  small  matter 
of  two  glasses." 

"  Is  it  no  harm,  Benny  Pump,"  said  Natty,  raising  his 
eyes  with  a  piteous  look  in  the  face  of  the  steward,  "  is  it 
no  harm  to  show  off  a  man  in  his  seventy-first  year,  like  a 
tame  bear,  for  the  settlers  to  look  on  !  Is  it  no  harm  to 
put  an  old  soldier,  that  has  sarved  through  the  war  of  .'fifty 
six,  and  seen  the  inimy  in  the  'seventy-six  business,  into  a 
place  like  this,  where  the  boys  can  point  at  him  and  say, 
I  have  known  the  time  when  he  was  a  spectacle  for  the 
county  !  Is  it  no  harm  to  bring  down  the  pride  of  an  hon 
est  man  to  be  the  equal  of  the  beasts  of  the  forest ! " 

Benjamin  stared  about  him  fiercely,  and  could  he  have 
found  a  single  face  that  expressed  contumely,  he  would 
have  been  prompt  to  quarrel  with  its  owner ;  but  meeting 
everywhere  with  looks  of  sobriety,  and  occasionally  of  com 
miseration,  he  very  deliberately  seated  himself  by  the  side 
of  the  hunter,  and  placing  his  legs  in  the  two  vacant  holes 
of  the  stocks,  he  said,  — 

"  Now  lower  away,  Master  Constable,  lower  away,  I  tell 
ye !  If-so-be  there's  such  a  thing  hereabouts  as  a  man  that 

wants   to  see  a  bear,  let  him   look  and  be  d d,  and  he 

shall  find  two  of  them,  and  mayhap  one   of  the  same   that 
can  bite  as  well  as  growl." 

"  But  I  have  no  orders  to  put  you  in  the  stocks,  Mr 
Pump,"  cried  the  constable ;  "  you  must  get  up,  and  let  me 
do  my  duty." 

"  You've  my  orders,  and  what  do  you  need  better  to 
meddle  with  my  own  feet  ?  so  lower  away,  will  ye,  and  let 
me  see  the  man  that  chooses  to  open  his  mouth  with  a  grin 
->n  it." 

"  There  can't  be  any  harm  in  locking  up  a  creatur*  that 
will  enter  the  pound,"  said  the  constable,  laughing,  and 
closing  the  stocks  on  them  both. 

It  was  fortunate  that  this  act  was  executed  with  decision* 


890  THE   PIONEERS. 

for  the  whole  of  the  spectators,  when  they  saw  Benjamia 
assume  the  position  he  took,  felt  an  inclination  for  merri 
ment,  which  few  thought  it  worth  while  to  suppress.  The 
steward  struggled  violently  for  his  liberty  again,  with  an 
evident  intention  of  making  battle  on  those  who  stood  near 
est  to  him ;  but  .the  key  was  already  turned,  and  all  his 
efforts  were  vain. 

"Hark  ye,  Master  Constable,"  he  cried,  "just  clear  away 
your  bilboes  for  the  small  matter  of  a  log-glass,  will  ye,  and 
let  me  show  some  of  them  there  chaps  who  it  is  they  are  so 
merry  about." 

"  No,  no,  you  would  go  in,  and  you  can't  come  out," 
returned  the  oilicer,  "  until  the  time  has  expired  that  the 
Judge  directed  for  the  keeping  of  the  prisoner." 

Benjamin,  finding  that  his  threats  and  his  struggles  were 
useless,  had  good  sense  enough  to  learn  patience  from  the 
resigned  manner  of  his  companion,  and  soon  settled  himself 
down  by  the  side  of  Natty,  with  a  contemptuousness  ex 
pressed  in  his  hard  features,  that  showed  he  had  substituted 
disgust  for  rage.  When  the  violence  of  the  steward's  feel 
ings  had  in  some  measure  subsided,  he  turned  to  his  fellow- 
sufferer,  and,  with  a  motive  that  might  have  vindicated  a 
worse  effusion,  he  attempted  the  charitable  office  of  conso 
lation. 

"  Taking  it  by  and  large,  Master  Bump-ho,  'tis  but  at 
small  matter  after  all,"  he  said.  "  Now,  I've  known  very  * 
good  sort  of  men,  aboard  of  the  Boadishey,  laid  by  the  heels, 
for  nothing,  mayhap,  but  forgetting  that  they'd  drunk  their 
allowance  already,  when  a  glass  of  grog  has  come  in  their 
way.  This  is  nothing  more  than  riding  with  two  anchors 
ahead,  waiting  for  a  turn  in  the  tide,  or  a  shift  of  wind., 
d'ye  see,  with  a  soft  bottom  and  plenty  of  room  for  the 
sweep  of  your  hawse.  Now  I've  seen  many  a  man,  for 
overshooting  his  reckoning,  as  I  told  ye,  moored  head  and 
starn,  \vhere  he  couldn't  so  much  as  heave  his  broadside 
round,  and  mayhap  a  stopper  clapt  on  his  tongue  too,  in  the 
shape  of  a  pump-bolt  lashed  athwartship  his  jaws,  all  the 
same  as  an  outrigger  alongside  of  a  taffrall-rail." 

'Hie  hunter  appeared  to  appreciate  the  kind  intentions  o1 


THE  PIONEERS.  891 

the  other,  though  he  could  not  understand  his  eloquence ; 
and  raising  his  humbled  countenance,  he  attempted  a  sinile, 
as  he  said, — 

«  Anan ! " 

"  Tis  nothing,  I  say,  but  a  small  matter  of  a  squall  tha' 
will  soon  blow  over,"  continued  Benjamin.  "  To  you  that 
has  such  a  length  of  keel,  it  must  be  all  the  same  as  noth 
ing  ;  tho'f,  seeing  that  I'm  a  little  short  in  my  lower  timbers, 
they've  triced  my  heels  up  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  me  a 
bit  of  a  cant.  But  what  cares  I,  Master  Bump-ho,  if  the 
ship  strains  a  little  at  her  anchor  ;  it's  only  for  a  dog-watch, 
and  dain'me  but  she'll  sail  with  you  then  on  that  cruise  after 
them  said  beaver.  I'm  not  much  used  to  small-arms,  seeing 
that  I  was  stationed  at  the  ammunition-boxes,  being  sum'- 
mat  too  low-rigged  to  see  over  the  hammock-cloths  ;  but  I 
can  carry  the  game,  d'ye  see,  and  mayhap  make  out  to  lend 
a  hand  with  the  traps ;  and  if-so-be  you're  anyway  so 
handy  with  them  as  ye  be  with  your  boat-hook,  'twill  be 
but  a  short  cruise  after  all.  I've  squared  the  yards  with 
Squire  Dickens  this  morning,  and  I  shall  send  him  word 
that  he  needn't  bear  my  name  on  the  books  again  till  such 
time  as  the  cruise  is  over." 

"  You're  used  to  dwell  with  men,  Benny,  said  Leather- 
Stocking,  mournfully,  "  and  the  ways  of  the  woods  would 
be  hard  on  you,  if"  — 

"  Not  a  bit  —  not  a  bit,"  cried  the  steward ;  "  I'm  none 
of  your  fair-weather  chaps,  Master  Bump-ho,  as  sails  only 
in  smooth  water.  When  I  find  a  friend,  I  sticks  by  him, 
d'ye  see.  Now,  there's  no  better  man  a-goirig  than  Squire 
Dickens,  and  I  love  him  about  the  same  as  I  loves  Mistress 
Holiister's  new  keg  of  Jamaiky."  The  steward  paused,  and 
turning  his  uncouth  visage  on  the  hunter,  he  surveyed  him 
with  a  roguish  leer  of  his  eye,  and  gradually  suffered  the 
muscles  of  his  hard  features  to  relax,  until  his  face  was  illu 
minated  by  the  display  of  his  white  teeth,  when  he  dropped 
his  voice,  and  added,  —  "I  say,  Master  Leather-Stocking, 
'tis  fresher  and  livelier  than  any  Hollands  you'll  get  in 
Garnsey.  But  we'll  send  a  hand  over  and  ask  the  woman 
tor  a  taste,  for  I'm  so  jammed  in  these  here  bilboes,  that  I 
begin  ,.0  want  suufmat  to  lighten  iny  upper  works." 


892  THE  PIONEERS. 

Natty  sighed,  and  gazed  about  him  on  the  crowd,  thai 
already  began  to  disperse,  and  which  had  now  diminished 
greatly,  as  its  members  scattered  in  their  various  pursuits. 
He  looked  wistfully  at  Benjamin,  but  did  not  reply ;  a 
deeply  seated  anxiety  seeming  to  absorb  every  other  sensa 
tion,  and  to  throw  a  melancholy  gloom  over  his  wrinkled 
features,  which  were  working  with  the  movements  of  hia 
mind. 

The  steward  was  about  to  act  on  the  old  principle,  that 
silence  gives  consent,  when  Hiram  Doolittle,  attended  by 
Jotham,  stalked  out  of  the  crowd,  across  the  open  space,  and 
approached  the  stocks.  The  magistrate  passed  by  the  end 
where  Benjamin  was  seated,  and  posted  himself,  at  a  safe 
distance  from  the  steward,  in  front  of  the  Leather- Stocking. 
Hiram  stood  for  a  moment,  cowering  before  the  keen  looks 
that  Natty  fastened  on  him,  and  suffering  under  an  embar 
rassment  that  was  quite  new ;  when,  having  in  some  degree 
recovered  himself,  he  looked  at  the  heavens,  and  then  at 
the  smoky  atmosphere,  as  if  it  were  only  an  ordinary  meet 
ing  with  a  friend,  and  said  in  his  formal,  hesitating  way, — 

"  Quite  a  scurcity  of  rain  lately ;  I  some  think  we  shall 
have  a  long  drought  on't." 

Benjamin  was  occupied  in  untying  his  bag  of  dollars,  and 
did  not  observe  the  approach  of  the  magistrate,  while  Natty 
turned  his  face,  in  which  every  muscle  was  working,  away 
from  him  in  disgust,  without  answering.  Rather  encour 
aged  than  daunted  by  this  exhibition  of  dislike,  Hiram,  after 
a  short  pause,  continued. 

"  The  clouds  look  as  if  they'd  no  water  in  them,  and  the 
earth  is  dreadfully  parched.  To  my  judgment,  there'll  be 
short  crops  this  season,  if  the  rain  doesn't  fall  quite  speed- 
ily." 

The  air  with  which  Mr.  Doolittle  delivered  this  prophet 
ical  opinion  was  peculiar  to  his  species.  It  was  a  Jesuitical, 
cold,  unfeeling,  and  selfish  manner,  that  seemed  to  say,  "  I 
have  kept  within  the  law,"  to  the  man  he  had  so  cruelly  in 
jured  It  quite  overcame  the  restraint  that  the  old  hunter 
had  been  laboring  to  impose  on  himself,  and  he  burst  out  ii 
a  warm  glow  of  indignation. 


TIIE  PIONEERS.  393 

"Why  should  the  rain  fall  from  the  clouds,"  he  cried, 
w  when  you  force  the  tears  from  the  eyes  of  the  old,  the 
sick,  and  the  poor !  Away  with  ye  —  away  with  ye  !  you 
may  be  formed  in  the  image  of  the  Maker,  but  Satan  dwell* 
in  your  heart.  Away  with  ye,  I  say !  I  am  mournful,  and 
the  sight  of  ye  brings  bitter  thoughts." 

Benjamin  ceased  thumbing  his  money,  and  raised  his  head 
at  the  instant  that  Hiram,  who  was  thrown  off  his  guard  by 
the  invectives  of  the  hunter,  unluckily  trusted  his  person 
within  reach  of  the  steward,  who  grasped  one  of  his  legs, 
with  a  hand  that  had  the  grip  of  a  vice,  and  whirled  the 
magistrate  from  his  feet,  before  he  had  either  time  to  collect 
his  senses  or  to  exercise  the  strength  he 'did  really  possess. 
Benjamin  wanted  neither  proportions  nor  manhood  in  his 
head,  shoulders,  and  arms,  though  all  the  rest  of  his  framo 
appeared  to  be  originally  intended  for  a  very  different  sort 
of  a  man.  He  exerted  his  physical  powers  on  the  present 
occasion,  with  much  discretion ;  and  as  he  had  taken  his  an 
tagonist  at  a  great  disadvantage,  the  struggle  resulted,  very 
soon,  in  Benjamin  getting  the  magistrate  fixed  in  a  posture 
somewhat  similar  to  his  own,  and  manfully  placed  face  to 
face. 

"  You're  a  ship's  cousin,  I  tell  ye,  Master  Doo-but-little," 
roared  the  steward ;  "  some  such  matter  as  a  ship's  cousin, 
sir.  I  know  you,  I  do,  with  your  fair-weather  speeches  to 
Squire  Dickens,  to  his  face,  and  then  you  go  and  sarve  out 
your  grumbling  to  all  the  old  women  in  the  town,  do  ye. 
Ain't  it  enough  for  any  Christian,  let  him  harbor  never  so 
«mch  malice,  to  get  an  honest  old  fellow  laid  by  the  heels 
ji  this  fashion,  without  carrying  sail  so  hard  on  the  poor 
log,  as  if  you  would  run  him  down  as  he  lay  at  his  anchors  ? 
But  I've  logged  many  a  hard  thing  against  your  name,  mas 
ter,  and  now  the  time's  come  to  foot  up  the  day's  work, 
d'ye  see  ;  so  square  yourself,  you  lubber,  square  yourself, 
and  we'll  soon  know  who's  the  better  man." 

"  Jotham !  "  cried  the  frightened  magistrate  —  "  Jotham  ! 
tall  in  the  constables.  Mr.  Penguillium,  I  command  tho 
{Kiace  —  I  order  you  to  keep  the  peace." 

"  There's  been  more  peace  than  love  atwixt  us,  master,* 


894  THE  PIONEERS. 

cried  the  steward,  making  some  very  unequivocal  demonstra 
tions  towards  hostility  ;  "so  mind  yourself !  square  yourself 
I  say !  d")  you  smell  this  here  bit  of  a  sledge-hammer  ?  " 

"  Lay  hands  on  me  if  you  dare ! "  exclaimed  Hiram,  as 
well  as  he  could  under  the  grasp  which  the  steward  held  on 
his  throttle,  "  lay  hands  on  me  if  you  dare  ! " 

"  If  ye  call  this  laying,  master,  you  are  welcome  to  the 
eggs,"  roared  the  steward. 

It  becomes  our  disagreeable  duty  to  record  here,  that  the 
acts  of  Benjamin  now  became  violent ;  for  he  darted  his 
sledge-hammer  violently  on  the  anvil  of  Mr.  Doolittle's  coun 
tenance,  and  the  place  became,  in  an  instant,  a  scene  of 
tumult  and  confusion.  The  crowd  rushed  in  a  dense  circle 
around  the  spot,  while  some  ran  to  the  court-room  to  give 
the  alarm,  and  one  or  two  of  the  more  juvenile  part  of  the 
multitude  had  a  desperate  trial  of  speed  to  see  who  should 
be  the  happy  man  to  communicate  the  critical  situation  of 
the  magistrate  to  his  wife. 

Benjamin  worked  away  with  great  industry  and  a  good 
deal  of  skill,  at  his  occupation,  using  one  hand  to  raise  up 
his  antagonist,  while  he  knocked  him  over  with  the  other ; 
for  he  would  have  been  disgraced  in  his  own  estimation,  had 
he  struck  a  blow  on  a  fallen  adversary.  By  this  considerate 
arrangement  he  had  found  means  to  hammer  the  visage  of 
Hiram  out  of  all  shape,  by  the  time  Richard  succeeded  in 
forcing  his  way  through  the  throng  to  the  point  of  combat. 
The  Sheriff  afterwards  declared  that,  independently  of  his 
mortification,  as  preserver  of  the  peace  of  the  county,  at  this 
interruption  to  its  harmony,  he  was  never  so  grieved  in  his 
life  as  when  he  saw  this  breach  of  unity  between  his  favorites, 
llirnm  had  in  some  degree  become  necessary  to  his  vanity, 
and  Benjamin,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  he  really  loved 
'Ih is  attachment  was  exhibited  in  the  first  words  that  he 
uttered. 

"  Squire  Doolittle !  Squire '"*Doolittle  !  I  am  ashamed  co 
see  a  man  of  your  character  and  office  forget  himself  so  much 
is  to  disturb  the  peace,  insult  the  court,  and  beat  poor  Ben 
jamin  in  this  manner  !  " 

At  the  sound  of  Mr.  Jones's  voice,  the  steward  ceased  hi& 


THE  PIONEERS.  896 

employment,  aud  Hiram  had  an  opportunity  of  raising  his 
discomfited  visage  towards  the  mediator.  Emboldened  by 
the  sight  of  the  Sheriff,  Mr.  Doolittle  again  had  recourse  to 
his  lungs. 

"  I'll  have  the  law  on  you  for  this,"  he  cried  desperately ; 
"  I'll  have  the  law  on  you  for  this.  I  call  on  you,  Mr 
Sheriff,  to  seize  this  man,  and  I  demand  that  you  take  hi* 
body  into  custody." 

By  this  time  Richard  was  master  of  the  true  state  of  the 
case,  and,  turning  to  the  steward,  he  said,  reproachfully,  — 

"  Benjamin,  how  came  you  in  the  stocks  ?  I  always 
thought  you  were  mild  and  docile  as  a  lamb.  It  was  for 
your  docility  that  I  most  esteemed  you.  Benjamin  !  Benja 
min  !  you  have  not  only  disgraced  yourself,  but  your  friends, 
by  this  shameless  conduct.  Bless  me !  Bless  me !  Mr. 
Doolittle,  he  seems  to  have  knocked  your  face  all  of  one 
side." 

Hiram  by  this  time  had  got  on  his 'feet  again,  and  with 
out  the  reach  of  the  steward,  when  he  broke  forth  in  violent 
appeals  for  vengeance.  The  offense  was  too  apparent  to  be 
passed  over,  and  the  Sheriff,  mindful  of  the  impartiality 
exhibited  by  his  cousin  in  the  recent  trial  of  the  Leather- 
Stocking,  came  to  the  painful  conclusion  that  it  was  neces 
sary  to  commit  his  major-domo  to  prison.  As  the  time  of 
Natty's  punishment  was  expired,  and  Benjamin  found  that 
they  were  to  be  confined,  for  that  night  at  least,  in  the 
same  apartment,  he  made  no  very  strong  objections  to  the 
measure,  nor  spoke  of  bail,  though,  as  the  Sheriff  preceded 
the  party  of  constables  that  conducted  them  to  the  jail,  he 
uttered  the  following  remonstrance  :  — 

"  As  to  being  berthed  with  Master  Bump-ho  for  a  night 
or  BO,  it's  but  little  I  think  of  it,  Squire  Dickens,  seeing  that 
I  calls  him  an  honest  man,  and  one  as  has  a  handy  way  with 
boat  -hooks  and  rifles  ;  but  as  for  owning  that  a  man  desarvea 
anything  worse  than  a  double  allowance,  for  knocking  that 
carpenter's  face  a-one-side,  as  you  call  it,  I'll  maintain  it's 
agin  reason  and  Christianity.  If  there's  a  bloodsucker  in 
this 'ere  county,  it's  that  very  chap.  Aye!  I  know  him.1 
»ad  if  ho  hasn't  got  all  the  same  as  dead  wood  in  his  head 


396  THE   PIONEERS. 

works,  he  knows  sum'mat  of  me.  Where's  the  mighty  harm, 
Squire,  that  you  take  it  so  much  to  heart  ?  It's  all  the  same 
as  any  other  battle,  d'ye  see,  sir,  being  broadside  to  broad 
side,  only  that  it  was  fou't  at  anchor,  which  was  what  we 
did  in  Port  Praya  roads,  when  Suff  ring  came  in  among  us ; 
and  a  suffring  time  he  had  of  it,  before  he  got  out  again." 

Richard  thought  it  unworthy  of  him  to  make  any  reply  to 
this  speech ;  but  when  his  prisoners  were  safely  lodged  in  an 
outer  dungeon,  ordering  the  bolts  to  be  drawn  and  the  key 
turned,  he  withdrew. 

Benjamin  held  frequent  and  friendly  dialogues  with  dif 
ferent  people,  through  the  iron  gratings,  during  the  after 
noon  ;  but  his  companion  paced  their  narrow  limits,  in  his 
moccasins,  with  quick,  impatient  treads,  his  face  hanging  on 
his  breast  in  dejection,  or  when  lifted,  at  moments,  to  the 
idlers  at  the  window,  lighted,  perhaps,  for  an  instant,  with 
the  childish  aspect  of  aged  forgetfulness,  which  would  vanish 
directly  in  an  expression  of  deep  and  obvious  anxiety. 

At  the  close  of  the  day,  Edwards  was  seen  at  the  window, 
in  earnest  dialogue  with  his  friend ;  and  after  he  departed, 
it  was  thought  that  he  had  communicated  words  of  comfort 
to  the  hunter,  who  threw  himself  on  his  pallet,  and  was  soon 
in  a  deep  sleep.  The  curious  spectators  had  exhausted  the 
conversation  of  the  steward,  who  had  drunk  good  fellowship 
with  half  of  his  acquaintance,  and  as  Natty  was  no  longer 
in  motion,  by  eight  o'clock,  Billy  Kirby,  who  was  the  last" 
lounger  at  the  window,  retired  into  the  "  Templetown  Coffee 
house,"  when  Natty  rose  and  hung  a  blanket  before  the 
opening,  and  the  prisoners  apparently  retired  for  the  night 


THE  PIONEERS. 


397 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

And  to  avoid  the  foe's  pursuit, 
With  spurring  put  their  cattle  to't; 
And  till  all  four  were  out  of  wind, 
And  danger  too,  ne'er  looked  behind. 

IIUDIBRAS. 

As  the  shades  of  evening  approached,  the  jurors,  wit 
nesses,  and  other  attendants  on  the  court,  began  to  disperse, 
and  before  nine  o'clock  the  village  was  quiet,  and  its  streets 
nearly  deserted.  At  that  hour  Judge  Temple  and  his 
daughter,  followed  at  a  short  distance  by  Louisa  Grant, 
walked  slowly  down  the  avenue,  under  the  slight  shadows 
of  the  young  poplars,  holding  the  following  discourse :  — 

"  You  can  best  soothe  his  wounded  spirit,  my  child,"  said 
Marmaduke  ;  "  but  it  will  be  dangerous  to  touch  on  tho 
nature  of  his  offense;  the  sanctity  of  the  laws  must  be 
respected." 

"  Surely,  sir,"  cried  the  impatient  Elizabeth,  "  those  laws 
that  condemn  a  man  like  the  Leather-Stocking  to  so  severe 
a  punishment,  for  an  offense  that  even  I  must  think  very 
venial,  cannot  be  perfect  in  themselves." 

"  Thou  talkest  of  what  thou  dost  not  understand,  Eliza- 
beth,"  returned  her  father.  "  Society  cannot  exist  without 
wholesome  restraints.  Those  restraints  cannot  be  inflicted, 
.without  security  and  respect  to  the  persons  of  those  who 
wlminister  them ;  and  it  would  sound  ill  indeed  to  report, 
that  a  judge  had  extended  favor  to  a  convicted  criminal, 
oecause  he  had  saved  the  life  of  his  child." 

"  I  see  —  I  see  the  difficulty  of  your  situation,  dear  sir," 
cried  ihe  daughter  "  but  in  appreciating  the  offense  of 
poor  TutU,  I  cannot  separate  the  minister-  of  the  law  from 
the  n;  m/' 

u  There  thou  talkest  as  a  woman,  child  ;  it  is  not  for  ao 


398  THE  HONEER3. 

assault  on  Hiram  Doolittle,  but  for  threatening  the  life  of 
a  constable,  who  was  in  the  performance  of"  — 

"It  is  immaterial  whether  it  be  one   or  the   other,"  inter 
rupted  Miss  Temple,  with  a  logic  that  contained  more  feel 
ing  than  reason  ;  "  I  know  Natty  to  be  innocent,  and,  think* 
rhig  so.  I  must  think  all  wrong  who  oppress  him." 
"  His  judge  among  the  number!  thy  father,  Elizabeth?*1 
"  Nay,  nay,  nay  ;  do  not  put  such  questions  to  me ;  give 
me  my  commission,  father,  and  let  me  proceed  to  execute 
it" 

The  Judge  paused  a  moment,  smiling  fondly  on  his  child, 
and  then  dropped  his  hand  affectionately  on  her  shoulder, 
as  he  answered,  — 

"  Thou  hast  reason,  Bess,  and  much  of  it  too,  but  thy 
heart  lies  too  near  thy  head.  But  listen  :  in  this  pocket- 
book  are  two  hundred  dollars.  Go  to  the  prison  —  there 
are  none  in  this  place  to  harm  thee  —  give  this  note  to  the 
jailer,  and  when  thou  seest  Bumppo,  say  what  thou  wilt  to 
the  poor  old  man  ;  give  scope  to  the  feelings  of  thy  warm 
heart ;  but  try  to  remember,  Elizabeth,  that  the  laws  alone 
remove  us  from  the  condition  of  the  savages ;  that  he  has 
been  criminal,  and  that  his  judge  was  thy  father." 

Miss  Temple  made  no   reply,  but  she   pressed   the  hand 
that  held   the  pocket-book   to  her  bosom,  and   taking  her 
friend  by  the  arm,  they  issued  together  from  the  ii:closure  , 
into  the  principal  street  of  the  village. 

As  they  pursued  their  walk  in  silence,  under  the  row  of 
houses,  where  the  deeper  gloom  of  the  evening  effectually 
concealed  their  persons,  no  sound  reached  them,  excepting 
Ihe  slow  tread  of  a  yoke  of  oxen,  with  the  rattling  of  a 
cart,  that  were  moving  along  the  street  in  the  same  direc 
tion  with  themselves.  The  figure  of  the  teamster  was  just 
.lisccrnible  by  the  dim  light,  lounging  by  the  side  of  his 
cr.ftle  with  a  listless  air,  as  if-  fatigued  by  the  toil  of  the 
day.  A*  the  corner,  where  the  jail  stood,  the  progress  of 
the  ladies  was  impeded,  for  a  moment,  by  the  oxen,  who 
were  turned  up  to  the  side  of  the  building,  and  given  a 
lock  of  hay,  which  they  had  carried  on  their  necks,  as  a  re 
ward  for  their  patient  labor.  The  whole  of  this  was  eo 


THE  PIONEERS.  899 

natural,  and  so  common,  that  Elizabeth  saw  nothing  to  in 
duce  a  second  glance  at  the  team,  until  she  heard  the  team 
ster  speaking  to  his  cattle  in  a  low  voice  :  — 

"  Mind  yourself,  Brindle  ;  will  you,  sir  !  will  you !  " 

The  language  itself  was  unusual  to  oxen,  with  which 
nil  who  dwell  in  a  new  country  are  familiar  ;  but  there  was 
something  in  the  voice  also,  that  startled  Miss  Temple.  On 
turning  the  corner,  she  necessarily  approached  the  man,  and 
her  look  was  enabled  to  detect  the  person  of  Oliver  Ed 
wards,  concealed  under  the  coarse  garb  of  a  teamster. 
Their  eyes  met  at  the  same  instant,  and,  notwithstanding 
the  gloom,  and  the  enveloping  cloak  of  Elizabeth,  the  rec 
ognition  was  mutual. 

"  Miss  Temple ! "  "  Mr.  Edwards ! "  were  exdaimed  si 
multaneously,  though  a  feeling  that  seemed  common  to  both, 
rendered  the  words  nearly  inaudible. 

"  Is  it  possible  !  "  exclaimed  Edwards,  after  the  moment 
of  doubt  had  passed  ;  "  do  I  see  you  so  nigh  the  jail !  but 
you  are  going  to  the  Rectory  ;  I  beg  pardon,  Miss  Grant, 
I  believe  ;  I  did  not  recognize  you  at  first." 

The  sigh  which  Louisa  uttered  was  so  faint,  that  it  was 
only  heard  by  Elizabeth,  who  replied  quickly,  — 

"  We  are  going  not  only  to  the  jail,  Mr.  Edwards,  but 
into  it.  We  wish  to  show  the  Leather-Stocking  that  wo 
do  not  forget  his  services,  and  that  at  the  same  time  we 
must  be  just,  we  are  also  grateful.  I  suppose  you  are  on  a 
similar  errand ;  but  let  me  beg  that  you  will  give  us  leave 
to  precede  you  ten  minutes.  Good-night,  sir ;  I  —  I  —  am 
quite  sorry,  Mr.  Edwards,  to  see  you  reduced  to  such  labor ; 
I  am  sure  my  father  would  "  — 

"I  shall  wait  your  pleasure,  madam,"  interrupted  the 
jouth,  coldly.  "May  I  beg  that  you  will  not  mention  my 
being  here  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  said  Elizabeth,  returning  his  bow  by  a  slight 
inclination  of  her  head,  and  urging  the  tardy  Louisa  for 
ward.  As  they  entered  the  jailer's  house,  however,  Miss 
Grant  found  leisure  to  whisper  — 

"  Would  it  not  be  well  to  offer  part  of  your  money  tc 
'Wiver?  half  of  it  will  pay  the  fine  of  Burnppo;  and  lie  Lr 


400  THE  PIONEERS. 

B3  unused  to  hardships !  I  am  sure  ray  father  will  sub 
scribe  much  of  his  little  pittance,  to  place  him  in  a  station 
that  is  more  worthy  of  him." 

The  involuntary  smile  that  passed  over  the  features  of 
Elizabeth  was  blended  with  an  expression  of  deep  and 
heartfelt  pity.  •  She  did  not  reply,  however,  and  the  appear 
ance  of  the  jailer  soon  recalled  the  thoughts  of  both  to  the 
object  of  their  visit. 

The  rescue  of  the  ladies,  and  their  consequent  interest  k 
bis  prisoner,  together  with  the  informal  manners  that  pre 
vailed  in  the  country,  all  united  to  prevent  any  surprise,  oil 
the  part  of  the  jailer,  at  their  request  for  admission  to 
Bumppo.  The  note  of  Judge  Temple,  however,  would 
have  silenced  all  objections,  if  he  had  felt  them,  and  he  led 
the  way  without  hesitation  to  the  apartment  that  held  the 
prisoners.  The  instant  the  key  was  put  into  the  lock,  the 
hoarse  voice  of  Benjamin  was  heard,  demanding,  — 

"  Yo !  hoy  !  who  comes  there  ?  " 

"  Some  visitors  that  you'll  be  glad  to  see,"  returned  the 
jailer.  "  What  have  you  done  to  the  lock,  that  it  won't 
turn  ?  " 

"  Handsomely,  handsomely,  master,"  cried  the  steward ; 
"  I  have  just  drove  a  nail  into  a  berth  alongside  of  this 
here  bolt,  as  a  stopper,  d'ye  see,  so  that  Master  Do-but-little 
can't  be  running  in  and  breezing  up  another  light  atwixt  t 
us ;  for,  to  my  account,  there'll  be  but  a  ban-yan  with  me 
soon,  seeing  that  they'll  mulct  me  of  my  Spaniards,  all  the 
same  as  if  I'd  overflogged  the  lubber.  Throw  your  ship 
into  the  wind,  and  lay  by  for  a  small  matter,  will  ye  ?  and 
I'll  soon  clear  a  passage." 

The  sounds  of  hammering  gave  an  assurance  that  the 
steward  was  in  earnest,  and  in  a  short  time  the  lock  yielded, 
when  the  door  was  opened. 

Benjamin  had  evidently  been  anticipating  the  seizure  of 
his  money,  for  he  had  made  frequent  demands  on  the  favor 
ite  cask  at  the  "  Bold  Dragoon,"  during  the  afternoon  and 
evening,  and  was  now  in  that  state  which  by  marine  im- 
ugery  is  called  u  half-seas-over."  It  was  no  easy  thing  to 
iestroj  the  balance  of  the  old  tar  by  the  effects  of  liquor 


THE  PIONEERS.  401 

for,  as  he  expressed  it  himself,  ft  He  was  too  low-rigged  not 
to  carry  sail  in  all  weathers ; "  but  he  was  precisely  in  that 
condition  which  is  so  expressively  termed  "  muddy."  When 
he  perceived  who  the  visitors  were,  he  retreated  to  the  side 
of  the  room  where  his  pallet  lay,  and,  regardless  of  the 
presence  of  his  young  mistress,  seated  himself  on  it  with  an 
air  of  great  sobriety,  placing  his  back  firmly  against  tho 
wall. 

"  If  you  undertake  to  spoil  my  locks  in  this  manner,  Mi 
Pump,"  said  the  jailer,  "  I  shall  pui  a  stopper,  as  you  call  it 
on  your  legs,  and  tie  you  down  to  your  bed." 

"  What  for  should  ye,  master  ?  "  grumbled  Benjamin ; 
"  I've  rode  out  one  squall  to-day  anchored  by  the  heels,  and 
I  wants  no  more  of  them.  Where's  the  harm  of  doing  ali 
the  same  as  yourself  ?  Leave  that  there  door  free  outboard 
and  you'll  find  no  locking  inboard,  I'll  promise  ye." 

"  I  must  shut  up  for  the  night  at  nine,"  said  the  jailers 
"and  it's  now  forty- two  minutes  past  eight."  He  placed  the 
little  candle  on  a  rough  pine  table,  and  withdrew. 

"  Leather-Stocking !  "  said  Elizabeth,  when  the  key  ol 
the  door  was  turned  on  them  again,  "  my  good  friend 
Leather-Stocking  !  I  have  come  on  a  message  of  gratitude. 
Had  you  submitted  to  the  search,  worthy  old  man,  the  death 
of  the  deer  would  have  been  a  trifle,  and  all  would  have 
been  well "  — 

"  Submit  to  the  s'arch  ! "  interrupted  Natty,  raising  his 
face  from  resting  on  his  knees,  without  rising  from  the  cor 
ner  where  he  had  seated  himself ;  "  d'ye  think,  gal,  I  would 
let  such  a  varmint  into  my  hut  ?  No,  no  ;  I  wouldn't  have 
opened  the  door  to  your  own  sweet  countenance  then.  1'ut 
they  are  wilcome  to  s'arch  among  the  coals  arid  ashes  now : 
they'll  find  only  some  such  heap  as  is  to  be  seen  at  every 
pot-ashery  in  the  mountains." 

The  old  man  dropped  his  face  again  on  one  hand,  and 
seemed  to  be  lost  in  melancholy. 

"  The  hut  can  be  rebuilt,  and  made  better  than  before," 
returned  Miss  Temple  ;  >4  and  it  shall  be  my  office  to  see  it 
done,  when  your  imprisonment  is  ended." 

u  Can  you  raise  the  dead,  child  ?  '  said  Natty,  in  a  sor 
96 


402s  THE  PIONEERS. 

rowful  voice  "  can  ye  go  into  the  place  where  you've  laid 
your  fathers,  and  mothers,  and  children,  and  gather  together 
their  ashes,  and  make  the  same  men  and  women  of  them  as 
afore  ?  You  do  not  know  what  'tis  to  lay  your  head  for 
more  than  forty  years  under  the  cover  of  the  same  logs,  and 
to  look  on  the  same  things  for  the  better  part  of  a  man's 
life.  You  are  young  yet,  child,  but  you  are  one  of  the 
most  precious  of  God's  creatures.  I  had  a  hope  f'rr  ye  that 
it  might  come  to  pass,  but  it's  all  over  now  ;  this  put  to  that, 
will  drive  the  thing  quite  out  of  his  mind  forever." 

Miss  Temple  must  have  understood  the  meaning  of  the 
old  man  better  than  the  other  listeners  ;  for,  while  Louisa 
stood  innocently  by  her  side,  commiserating  the  griefs  of 
the  hunter,  she  bent  her  head  aside,  so  as  to  conceal  her 
features.  The  action  and  the  feeling  that  caused  it  lasted 
but  a  moment. 

"  Other  logs,  and  better,  though,  can  be  had,  and  shall 
be  found  for  you,  my  old  defender,"  she  continued.  "  Your 
confinement  will  soon  be  over,  and,  before  that  time  arrives, 
I  shall  have  a  house  prepared  for  you,  where  you  may  spend 
the  close  of  your  harmless  life  in  ease  and  plenty." 

"  Ease  and  plenty  !  house  ! "  repeated  Natty,  slowly. 
"  You  mean  well,  you  mean  well,  and  I  quite  mourn  that  it 
cannot  be ;  but  he  has  seen  me  a  sight  and  a  laughing 
stock  for  "  — 

"  Damn  your  stocks,"  said  Benjamin,  flourishing  his  bot 
tle  with  one  hand,  from  which  he  had  been  taking  hasty  and 
repeated  draughts,  while  he  made  gestures  of  disdain  with 
ihe  other  ;  "  who  cares  for  his  bilboes  ?  there's  a  leg  that's 
j>een  stuck  up  an  end  like  a  jib-boom  for  an  hour,  d'ye  see, 
.Aid  what's  it  the  worse  for't,  ha  !  canst  tell  me,  what's  it 
the  worser,  ha  !  " 

"  I  believe  you  forget,  Mr.  Pump,  in  whose  presence  you 
are,"  said  Elizabeth. 

"  Forget  you,  Miss  Lizzy,"  returned  the  steward  ;  "  if  I 
io,  dam'me ;  you  are  not  to  be  forgot,  like  Goody  Pretty- 
bones,  up  at  the  big  house  there  I  say,  old  sharp-shooter, 
*he  may  have  pretty  bones,  but  I  can't  say  so  much,  for  her 
flesh,  d'ye  see,  for  she  looks  somewhat  like  an  atomy  with 


THE   PIONEEBS.  403 

another  man.'s  jacket  on.  Now,  for  the  skin  of  her  face,  it's 
all  the  same  as  a  new  topsail  with  a  taut  bolt-rope,  being 
snug  at  the  leaches,  but  all  in  a  bight  about  the  inner 
cloths." 

"  Peace  —  I  command  you  to  be  silent,  sir  !  "  said  Elisa 
beth. 

"  Aye,  aye,  ma'am,"  returned  the  steward.  "  You  didn't 
say  I  shouldn't  drink,  though." 

"  We  will  not  speak  of  what  is  to  become  of  others,"  said 
Miss  Temple,  turning  again  to  the  hunter,  "  but  of  your  own 
fortunes,  Natty.  It  shall  be  my  care  to  see  that  you  pass 
the  rest  of  your  days  in  ease  and  plenty." 

"  Ease  and  plenty  !  "  again  repeated  the  Leather-Stock 
ing  ;  "  what  ease  can  there  be  to  an  old  man,  who  must 
walk  a  mile  across  the  open  fields,  before  he  can  find  a 
shade  to  hide  him  from  a  scorching  sun  !  or  what  plenty  is 
there  where  you  may  hunt  a  day,  and  not  start  a  buck,  or 
see  anything  bigger  than  a  mink,  or  maybe  a  stray  fox  ! 
Ah  !  I  shall  have  a  hard  time-  after  them  very  beavers,  for 
this  fine.  I  must  go  low  toward  the  Pennsylvany  line  in 
search  of  the  creaturs,  maybe  a  hundred  mile  ;  for  they  are 
not  to  be  got  here-away.  No,  no  ;  your  betterments  and 
clearings  have  druv  the  knowing  things  out  of  the  country ; 
and  instead  of  beaver-dams,  which  is  the  natur*  of  the  animal, 
and  according  to  Providence,  you  turn  back  the  waters  over 
the  low  grounds  with  your  mill-dams,  as  if  'twas  hi  man  to 
stay  the  drops  from  going  where  He  wills  them  to  go. 
Benny,  unless  you  stop  your  hand  from  going  so  often  to 
your  mouth,  you  won't  be  ready  to  start  when  the  time 
comes." 

"  Harkee,  Master  Bump-ho,"  said  the  steward  ;  "  don't 
you  fear  for  Ben.  When  the  watch  is  called,  set  me  on  my 
Legs,  and  give  me  the  bearings  and  distance  of  where  you 
want  to  steer,  and  I'll  carry  sail  with  the  best  of  you,  I 
will." 

"  The  time  has  come  now,"  said  the  hunter,  listening ; 
I  hear  the  horns  of  the  oxen  rubbing  agin  the  side  of  the 
jail." 

"  Well,  say  the  word,  and   then  heave  ahead,  shipmate* 
taid  Benjamin. 


404  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  You  won't  betray  us,  gal  ?  "  said  Natty,  looking  siinplj 
into  the  face  of  Elizabeth  ;  "  you  won't  betray  an  old  man, 
who  craves  to  breathe  the  clear  air  of  heaven  ?  I  mean  no 
harm  ;  and  if  the  law  says  that  I  must  pay  the  hundred 
dollars,  I'll  take  the  season  through,  but  it  shall  be  forth 
coming  ;  and  this  good  man  will  help  me." 

"  You  catch  them,"  said  Benjamin,  with  a  sweeping  ges 
ture  of  his  arm,  "  and  if  they  get  away  again,  call  me  a 
slink,  that's  all." 

"  But  what  mean  you  ?  "  cried  the  wondering  Elizabeth. 
"  Here  you  must  stay  for  thirty  days ;  but  I  have  the 
money  for  your  fine  in  this  purse.  Take  it ;  pay  it  in  the 
morning,  and  summon  patience  for  your  month.  I  will 
come  often  to  see  you,  with  my  friend ;  we  will  make  up 
your  clothes  with  our  own  hands ;  indeed,  indeed,  you  shall 
be  comfortable." 

"  Would  ye,  children  ?  "  said  Natty,  advancing  across 
the  floor  with  an  air  of  kindness,  and  taking  the  hand  of 
Elizabeth ;  "  would  ye  be  so  kearful  of  an  old  man,  and 
just  for  shooting  the  beast  which  cost  him  nothing  ?  Such 
things  doesn't  run  in  the  blood,  I  believe,  for  you  seem  not 
to  forget  a  favor.  Your  little  fingers  couldn't  do  much  on 
a  buckskin,  nor  be  you  used  to  such  a  thread  as  sinews. 
But  if  he  hasn't  got  past  hearing,  he  shall  hear  it  and.  know 
it,  that  he  may  see,  like  me,  there  is  some  who  know  how 
to  remember  a  kindness." 

"  Tell  him  nothing,"  cried  Elizabeth,  earnestly,  "  if  you 
love  me,  if  you  regard  my  feelings,  tell  him  nothing.  It  ia 
of  yourself  only  I  would  talk,  and  for  yourself  only  I  act. 
I  grieve,  Leather-Stocking,  that  the  law  requires  that  you 
should  be  detained  here  so  long ;  but,  after  all,  it  will  be 
only  a  short  month,  and  "  — 

"  A  month  !  "  exclaimed  Natty,  opening  his  mouth  with 
his  usual  laugh  ;  "  not  a  day,  nor  a  night,  nor  an  hour,  gal. 
Judge  Temple  may  sintence,  but  he  can't  keep,  without  a 
better  dungeon  than  this.  I  was  taken  once  by  the  French, 
and  they  put  sixty-two  of  us  in  a  block-house,  nigh  hand  to 
old  Frontenac ;  but  'twas  easy  to  cut  through  a  pine  log  to 
them  that  was  used  to  timber."  The  hunter  paused,  and 


THE  PIONEERS.  4)5 

looked  cautiously  around  the  room,  when,  laughing  again, 
he  shoved  the  steward  gently  from  his  post,  and  removing 
the  bedclothes,  discovered  a  hole  recently  cut  in  the  logs 
with  a  mallet  and  chisel.  "  It's  only  a  kick,  and  the  out 
side  piece  is  off,  and  then  "  — 

"Off!  aye,  off!"  cried  Benjamin,  rousing  from  his 
stupor  ;  "  well,  here's  off.  Aye  !  aye  !  you  catch  'em,  and 
I'll  hold  on  to  them  said  "beaver-hats." 

"  I  fear  this  lad  will   trouble    me   much,"   said   Natty  ; 

*  'twill  be  a  hard  pull  for  the  mountain,  should  they  take 
the  scent  soon,  and  he  is  not  in  a  state  of  mind  to  run.'* 

"  Run  !  "  echoed  the  steward  ;  "  no,  sheer  alongside,  and 
Ut's  have  a  fight  of  it." 

"  Peace  ! "  ordered  Elizabeth. 

"  Aye,  aye,  ma'am." 

"  You  will  not  leave  us,  surely,  Leather-Stocking,"  con 
tinued  Miss  Temple  ;  "  I  beseech  you,  reflect  that  you  will 
be  driven  to  the  woods  entirely,  and  that  you  are  fast  get 
ting  old.  Be  patient  for  a  little  time,  when  you  can  go 
abroad  openly,  and  with  honor." 

"  Is  there  beaver  to  be  catched  here,  gal  ?  " 

"  If  not,  here  is  money  to  discharge  the  fine,  and  in  a 
month  you  are  free.  See,  here  it  is  in  gold." 

"  Gold !  "  said  Natty,  with  a  kind  of  childish  curiosity ; 

*  it's  long  sin'  I've  seen  a  gold  piece.     We  used  to  get  the 
jroad  joes,  in  the  old  war,  as  plenty  as  the  bears  be  now. 
I  remember  there  was  a  man  in  Dieskau's  army,  that  was 
killed,  who  had  a  dozen  of  the  shining  things  sewed  up  in 
bis  shirt.     I  didn't  handle  them  myself,  but  I  seen  them  cut 
out  with  my  own  eyes  ;  they  was  bigger  and  brighter  than 
them  be." 

"  These  are  English  guineas,  and  are  yours,"  said  Eliza 
beth  ;  "  an  earnest  of  what  shall  be  done  for  you." 

"  Me !  why  should  you  give  me  this  treasure  ? "  said 
Natty,  looking  earnestly  at  the  maiden. 

"  Why !  have  you  not  saved  my  life  ?  did  you  not  rescue 
me  from  the  jaws  of  the  beast  ?  "  exclaimed  Elizabeth,  veil- 
ng  her  eyes,  as  if  to  hide  some  hideous  object  from  her 
fiew. 


406  THE  PIONEERS. 

The  hunter  took  the  mon  ^y,  and  continued  turning  it  in 
his  hand  for  some  time,  piece  by  piece,  talking  aloud  during 
the  operation. 

"  There's  a  rifle,  they  say,  out  on  the  Cherry  Valley,  thai 
will  carry  a  hundred  rods  and  kill.  I've  seen  good  guns  in 
my  day,  but  none  quite  equal  to  that.  A  hundred  rods 
with  any  sartainty  is  great  shooting  !  Well,  well  —  I'm 
old,  and  the  gun  I  have  will  answer  my  time.  Here,  child, 
take  back  your  gold.  But  the  hour  has  come  ;  I  hear  him 
talking  to  the  cattle,  and  I  must  be  going.  You  won't  tell 
of  us,  gal  —  you  won't  tell  of  us,  will  ye  ?  " 

"  Tell  of  you ! "  echoed  Elizabeth.  "  But  take  the 
money,  old  man ;  take  the  money,  even  if  you  go  into  the 
mountains." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Natty,  shaking  his  head  kindly ;  "  I  would 
not  rob  you  so  for  twenty  rifles.  But  there's  one  thing,  you 
can  do  for  me,  if  ye  will,  that  no  other  is  at  hand  to  do." 

"  Name  it  —  name  it." 

"  Why,  it's  only  to  buy  a  canister  of  powder ;  'twill  cost 
two  silver  dollars.  Benny  Pump  has  the  money  ready, 
but  we  daren't  come  into  the  town  to  get  it.  Nobody  has 
it  but  the  Frenchman.  'Tis  of  the  best,  and  just  suits  a  rifle. 
Will  you  get  it  for  me,  gal  ?  say,  will  you  get  it  for  me  ?  " 

"  Will  I !  I  will  bring  it  to  you,  Leather-Stocking, 
though  I  toil  a  day  in  quest  of  you  through  the  woods.  But 
where  shall  I  find  you,  and  how  ?  " 

"  Where  ! "  said  Natty,  musing  a  moment ;  "  to-morrow, 
on  the  Vision ;  on  the  very  top  of  the  Vision,  I'll  meet  you, 
child,  just  as  the  sun  gets  over  our  heads.  See  that  it's  the 
fine  grain;  you'll  know  it  by  the  gloss  and  the  price." 

"  I  will  do  it,"  said  Elizabeth,  firmly. 

Natty  now  seated  himself,  and,  placing  his  feet  in  thfi 
hole,  with  a  slight  effort  he  opened  a  passage  through  into 
the  street.  The  ladies  heard  the  Tustling  of  hay,  and  well 
understood  the  reason  why  Edwards  was  in  the  capacity  of 
a  teamster, 

"  Come,  Benny,"  said  the  hunter ;  "  'twill  be  no  darker 
to-night,  for  the  moon  will  rise  in  an  hour." 

u  Stay  ! "  exclaimed  Elizabeth ;  "  it  should  not  be  said 


THE  PIONEERS.  407 

that  you  escaped  in  the  presence  of  the  daughter  of  Judge 
Temple.  Return,  Leather-Stocking,  and  let  us  retire, 
before  you  execute  your  plan." 

Natty  was  about  to  reply,  when  the  approaching  footsteps 
of  the  jailer  announced  tlx)  necessity  of  his  immediate  return. 
He  had  barely  time  to  regain  his  feet,  and  to  conceal  the 
hole  with  the  bedclothes,  across  which  Benjamin  very 
opportunely  fell,  before  the  key  was  turned,  and  the  door  of 
the  apartment  opened. 

"  Isn't  Miss  Temple  ready  to  go  ?  "  said  the  civil  jailer  ; 
"  it's  the  usual  hour  for  locking  up." 

"  I  follow  you,  sir,"  returned  Elizabeth,  "  good  night, 
Leather-Stocking." 

"  It's  a  fine  grain,  gal,  and  I  think  'twill  carry  lead 
further  than  common.  I  am  getting  old,  and  can't  follow 
up  the  game  with  the  step  that  I  used  to  could." 

Miss  Temple  waved  her  hand  for  silence,  and  preceded 
Louisa  and  the  keeper  from  the  apartment.  The  man 
turned  the  key  once,  and  observed  that  he  would  return  and 
secure  his  prisoners,  when  he  had  lighted  the  ladies  to  the 
street.  Accordingly,  they  parted  at  the  door  of  the  build 
ing,  when  the  jailer  retired  to  his  dungeons,  and  the  ladies 
walked,  with  throbbing  hearts,  towards  the  corner. 

"  Now  the  Leather- Stocking  refuses  the  money,"  whis 
pered  Louisa,  "it  can  all  be  given  to  Mr.  Edwards,  and 
that  added  to  "  — 

«  Listen !  "  said  Elizabeth ;  "  I  hear  the  rustling  of  the 
hay ;  they  are  escaping  at  this  moment.  O !  they  will  be 
detected  instantly ! " 

By  this  time  they  were  at  the  corner,  where  Edwards 
and  Natty  were  in  the  act  of  drawing  the  almost  helpless 
oody  of  Benjamin  through  the  aperture.  The  oxen  had 
carted  flack  from  their  hay?  and  were  standing  with  their 
heads  down  the  street,  leaving  room  for  the  party  to  act  in. 

"  Throw  the  hay  into  the  cart,"  said  Edwards,  "  or  they 
will  suspect  how  it  has  been  done.  Quick,  that  they  may 
not  sec  it." 

Natty  had  just  returned  from  executing  this  order,  when 
the  light  of  the  keeper's  candle  shone  through  the  hole,  and 


408  THE  PIONEERS. 

instantly  his  voice  was  heard  in  the  jail,  exclaiming  for  hi* 
prisoners. 

"  What  is  to  be  done  now  ? "  said  Edwards ;  "  this 
drunken  fellow  will  cause  our  detection,  and  we  have  not  a 
moment  to  spare." 

"  Who's  drunk,  ye  lubber !  "-muttered  the  steward. 

"  A  break-jail !  a  break-jail !  "  shouted  five  or  six  voices 
from  within. 

"  We  must  leave  him,"  said  Edwards. 

"  'Twouldn't  be  kind,  lad,"  returned  Natty ;  "  he  took 
half  the  disgrace  of  the  stocks  on  himself  to-day,  and  the 
creatur'  has  feeling." 

At  this  moment  two  or  three  men  were  heard  issuing 
from  the  door  of  the  "  Bold  Dragoon,"  and  among  them  the 
voice  of  Billy  Kirby. 

**  There's  no  moon  yet,"  cried  the  wood-chopper ;  "  but 
it's  a  clear  night.  Come,  who's  for  home  ?  Hark !  what  a 
rumpus  they're  kicking  up  in  the  jail  —  here's  go  and  see 
what  it's  about." 

"  We  shall  be  lost,"  said  Edwards,  "  if  we  don't  drop  this 
man." 

At  that  moment  Elizabeth  moved  close  to  him,  and  said 
rapidly,  in  a  low  voice,  — 

"  Lay  him  in  the  cart,  and  start  the  oxen ;  no  one  will 
look  there." 

"  There's  a  woman's  quickness  in  the  thought,"  said  the 
youth. 

The  proposition  was  no  sooner  made  than  executed. 
The  steward  was  seated  on  the  hay,  and  enjoined  to  hold 
his  peace,  and  apply  the  goad  that  was  placed  in  his  hand, 
wliile  the  oxen  were  urged  on.  So  soon  as  this  arrange 
ment  was  completed,  Edwards  and  the  hunter  stoje  along 
the  houses  for  a  short  distance,  when  they  disappeared 
through  an  opening  that  led  into  the  rear  of  the  buildings. 
The  oxen  were  in  brisk  motion,  and  presently  the  cries  of 
pursuit  were  heard  in  the  street.  The  ladies  quickened 
their  pace,  with  a  wish  to  escape  the  crowd  of  constables 
and  idlers  that  were  approaching,  some  execrating,  .and 
tome  laughing  at  the  exploit  of  the  prisoners  In  the 


THE   PIONEERS.  409 

confusion,  the  voice  of  Kirby  was  plainly  distinguishabla 
above  all  the  others,  shouting  and  swearing  that  he  would 
have  the  fugitives,  threatening  to  bring  back  Natty  in 
one  pocket,  and  Benjamin  in  the  other. 

"  Spread  yourselves,  men,"  he  cried,  as  he  passed  the 
(adies,  his  heavy  feet  sounding  along  the  street  like  the 
tread  of  a  dozen ;  "  spread  yourselves ;  to  the  mountains  ; 
they'll  be  in  the  mountain  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  then 
look  out  for  a  long  rifle." 

His  cries  were  echoed  from  twenty  mouths,  for  not  only 
the  jail,  but  the  taverns  had  &ent  forth  their  numbers,  some 
earnest  in  the  pursuit,  and  others  joining  it  as  in  sport. 

As  Elizabeth  turned  in  at  her  father's  gate,  she  saw  the 
wood-chopper  stop  at  the  cart,  when  she  gave  Benjamin  up 
for  lost.  While  they  were  hurrying  up  the  walk,  two 
figures,  stealing  cautiously  but  quickly  under  the  shades  af 
the  trees,  met  the  eyes  of  the  ladies,  and  in  a  moment 
Edwards  and  the  hunter  crossed  their  path. 

"  Miss  Temple,  I  may  never  see  you  again,"  exclaimed 
the  youth ;  "let  me  thank  you  for  all  your  kindness ;  you 
do  not,  cannot  know  my  motives." 

"  Fly !  fly ! "  cried  Elizabeth  :  "  the  village  is  alarmed. 
Do  not  be  found  conversing  with  me  at  such  a  moment, 
and  in  these  grounds." 

"  Nay,  I  must  speak,  though  detection  were  certain." 

"  Your  retreat  to  the  bridge  is  already  cut  off ;  before 
you  can  gain  the. wood  your  pursuers  will  be  there.  If "  — 

"  If  what  ?  "  cried  the  youth.  "  Your  advice  has  saved 
me  once  already  ;  I  will  follow  it  to  death." 

"  The  street  is  now  silent  and  vacant,"  said  Elizabeth, 
after  a  pause  ;  "  cross  it,  and  you  will  find  my  father's  boat 
in  the  lake.  It  would  be  easy  to  land  from  it  where  you. 
please  in  the  hills." 

"  But  Judge  Temple  might  complain  of  the  trespass." 

"  His  daughter  shall  be  accountable,  sir." 

The  youth  uttered  something  in  a  low  voice,  that  waa 
heard  only  by  Elizabeth,  and  turned  to  execute  what  she 
had  suggested.  As  they  were  separating,  Natty  approached 
the  females,  and  said,  — 


410  THE  PIONEERS. 

"You'll  remember  the  canister  of  powder,  children. 
Them  beavers  must  be  had,  and  I  and  the  pups  be  getting 
old ;  we  want  the  best  of  ammunition." 

"  Come,  Natty,"  said  Edwards,  impatiently. 

"  Coming,  lad,  coming.  God  bless  you,  young  ones,  both 
of  ye,  for  ye  mean  well  and  kindly  to  the  old  man." 

The  ladies  paused  until  they  had  lost  sight  of  the  retreat 
ing  figures,  when  they  immediately  entered  the  Mansion- 
house. 

While  this  scene  was  passing  in  the  walk,  Kirby  had 
overtaken  the  cart,  which  was  his  own,  and  had  been  driven 
by  Edwards,  without  asking  the  owner,  from  the  place 
where  the  patient  oxen  usually  stood  at  evening,  waiting 
the  pleasure  of  their  master. 

"Woa —  come  hither,  Golden,"  he  cried;  "why,  how 
eome  you  off  the  end  of  the  bridge,  where  I  left  you,  dum 
mies  ?  " 

"  Heave  ahead !  "  muttered  Benjamin,  giving  a  random 
blow  with  liis  lash,  that  alighted  on  the  shoulder  of  the 
other. 

"Who  the  devil  be  you?"  cried  Billy,  turning  round  in 
eurprise,  but  unable  to  distinguish,  in  the  dark,  the  hard 
visage  that  was  just  peering  over  the  cart-rails. 

"  Who  be  I  ?  why  I'm  helmsman  aboard  of  this  here 
craft,  d'ye  see,  and  a  straight  wake  I'm  making  of  it.  Aye, 
aye  !  I've  got  the  bridge  right  ahead,  and  the  bilboes  dead 
afb ;  I  calls  that  good  steerage,  boy.  Heav.e  ahead !  " 

"  Lay  your  lash  in  the  right  spot,  Mr.  Benny  Pump," 
said  the  wood-chopper,  "  or  I'll  put  you  in  the  palm  of  my 
hand,  and  box  your  ears.  Where  bo  you  going  with  my 
team?" 

"Team!" 

u  Aye,  my  cart  and  oxen." 

"  Why,  you  must  know,  Master  Kirby,  that  the  Leather- 
Stocking  and  I  —  that's  Benny  Pump  —  you  knows  Ben  ? 
—  well,  Benny  and  I  —  no,  me  and  Benny  ;  dam'me  if  I 
know  how  'tis ;  but  some  of  us  are  bound  after  a  cargo  of 
beaver-skins,  d'ye  see,  and  so  we've  pressed  the  cart  to  ship 
them  'ome  in.  I  say,  Master  Kirby,  what  a  lubberly  oaf 


THE  PIONEERS.  411 

you  pull  —  you  handle  an  oar,  boy,  pretty  much  as  a  cow 
would  a  musket,  or  a  lady  would  a  marlingspike." 

Billy  had  discovered  the  state  of  the  steward's  mind,  and 
he  walked  for  some  time  alongside  of  the  cart,  musing  with 
himself,  when  he  took  the  goad  from  Benjamin  (who  fell 
back  on  the  hay  and  was  soon  asleep),  and  drove  his  cattle 
down  the  street,  over  the  bridge,  and  up  the  mountain, 
towards  a  clearing,  in  which  he  was  to  work  the  next  day, 
without  any  other  interruption  than  a  few  hasty  questions 
from  parties  of  the  constables. 

Elizabeth  stood  for  an  hour  at  the  window  of  her  room, 
«nd  saw  the  torches  of  the  pursuers  gliding  along  the  side 
cf  the  mountain,  and  heard  their  shouts  and  alarms  ;  but,  at 
the  end  of  that  time,  the  last  party  returned,  wearied  and 
disappointed,  and  the  village  became  as  still  as  when  ebe 
boned  from  the  gate  on  her  mission  to  the  jail. 


413  THE  FIONEEB8. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

"  And  I  could  weep  "  —  th'  Oneida  chief 

His  descant  wildly  thus  begun  — 
"  But  that  I  may  not  stain  with  grief 

The  death  song  of  my  father's  son." 

GERTRUDE  OF  WYOMIHO. 

IT  was  yet.  early  on  the  following  morning,  when  Eliza* 
beth  and  Louisa  met  by  appointment,  and  proceeded  to  the 
store  of  Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  in  order  to  redeem  the  pledge 
the  former  had  given  to  the  Leather-Stocking.  The  people 
were  again  assembling  for  the  business  of  the  day,  but  the 
hour  was  too  soon  for  a  crowd,  and  the  ladies  found  the 
place  in  possession  of  its  polite  owner,  Billy  Kirby,  one 
female  customer,  and  the  boy  who  did  the  duty  of  helper  or 
clerk. 

Monsieur  Le  Quoi  was  perusing  a  packet  of  letters  with 
manifest  delight,  while  the  wood-chopper,  with  one  hand 
thrust  in  his  bosom,  and  the  other  in  the  folds  of  his  jacket, 
holding  an  axe  under  his  right  arm,  stood  sympathizing  in 
the  Frenchman's  pleasure  with  good-natured  interest.  The 
freedom  of  manners  that  prevailed  in  the  new  settlements 
commonly  leveled  all  difference  in  rank,  and  with  it,  fre 
quently,  all  considerations  of  education  and  intelligence, 
At  the  time  the  ladies  entered  the  store,  they  were  unseen 
.y  the  owner,  who  was  saying  to  Kirby,  — 

"  Ah !  ha !  Monsieur  Beel,  dis  lettair  mak  me  de  most 
happi  of  mans.  Ah  !  ma  chere  France !  I  vill  see  you 
aga'n." 

"  I  rejoice.  Monsieur,  at  anything  that  contributes  to 
your  happiness,"  said  Elizabeth,  "  but  hope  we  are  not  going 
to  lose  you  entirely." 

The  complaisant  shopkeeper  changed  the  language  to 
French,  and  recounted  rapidly  to  Elizabeth  his  hopes  of 


THE  PIONEERS.  413 

being  permitted  to  return  to  his  own  country.  Habit  had, 
however,  so  far  altered  the  manners  of  this  pliable  person 
age,  that  he  continued  to  serve  the  wood-chopper,  who  was 
in  quest  of  some  tobacco,  while  he  related  to  his  more 
gentle  visitor  the  happy  change  that  had  taken  place  in  the 
dispositions  of  his  own  countrymen. 

The  amount  of  it  all  was,  that  Mr.  Le  Quoi,  who  had 
fled  from  his  own  country  more  through  terror  than  because 
he  was  offensive  to  the  ruling  powers  in  France,  had  suc 
ceeded  at  length  in  getting  an  assurance,  that  his  return  to 
the  West  Indies  would  be  unnoticed ;  and  the  Frenchman, 
who  had  sunk  into  the  character  of  a  country  shopkeeper 
with  so  much  grace,  was  about  to  emerge  again  from  his 
obscurity  into  his  proper  level  in  society. 

We  need  not  repeat  the  civil  things  that  passed  between 
the  parties  on  this  occasion,  nor  recount  the  endless  repeti 
tions  of  sorrow  that  the  delighted  Frenchman  expressed,  at 
being  compelled  to  quit  the  society  of  Miss  Temple.  Eliza 
beth  took  an  opportunity,  during  this  expenditure  of  polite 
expressions,  to  purchase  the  powder  privately  of  the  boy, 
who  bore  the  generic  appellation  of  Jonathan.  Before  they 
parted,  however,  Mr.  Le  Quoi,  who  seemed  to  think  that 
he  had  not  said  enough,  solicited  the  honor  of  a  private  in 
terview  with  the  heiress,  with  a  gravity  in  his  air  that 
announced  the  importance  of  the  subject.  After  conceding 
the  favor,  and  appointing  a  more  favorable  time  for  the 
meeting,  Elizabeth  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  the  store, 
into  which  the  countrymen  now  began  to  enter,  as  usual, 
where  they  met  with  the  same  attention  and  bienseance  ae 
formerly. 

Elizabeth  and  Louisa  pursued  tneir  walk  as  far  as  the 
bridge  in  profound  silence ;  but  when  they  reached  that 
place,  the  latter  stopped,  and  appeared  anxious  to  utter 
something  that  her  diffidence  suppressed. 

"  Are  you  ill,  Louisa  ?  "  exclaimed  Miss  Temple  ;  "  had 
we  not  better  return,  and  seek  another  opportunity  to  meet 
the  old  man  ?  " 

"  Not  ill,  but  terrified.  O !  I  never,  never  can  go  on 
that  hill  again  with  you  only.  I  am  not  equal  to  it,  indeed 
I  am  not." 


414  THE  PIONEERS. 

This  was  an  unexpected  declaraticu  to  Elizabeth,  who* 
although  she  experienced  no  idle  apprehension  of  a  dangei 
that  no  longer  existed,  felt  most  sensitively  all  the  delicacy 
of  maiden  modesty.  She  stood  for  some  time,  deeply 
reflecting  within  herself;  but,  sensible  it  was  a  time  for 
action  instead  of  reflection,  she  struggled  to  shake  off  her 
hesitation,  and  replied  firmly, — 

"  Well,  then  it  must  be  done  by  me  alone.  There  is  no 
other  than  yourself  to  be  trusted,  or  poor  old  Leather- 
Stocking  will  be  discovered.  Wait  for  me  in  the  edge  of 
these  woods,  that  at  least  I  may  not  be  seen  strolling  in  the 
hills  by  myself  just  now.  One  would  not  wish  to  create 
remarks,  Louisa  —  if —  if —  You  will  wait  for  mo,  dear 
girl?" 

"  A  year,  in  sight  of  the  village,  Miss  Temple,"  returned 
the  agitated  Louisa,  "  but  do  not,  do  not  ask  me  to  go  on. 
that  hill." 

Elizabeth  found  that  her  companion  was  really  unable  to 
proceed,  and  they  completed  their  arrangement  by  posting 
Louisa  out  of  the  observation  of  the  people  who  occasionally 
passed,  but   nigh  the  road,  and  in  plain  view  of  the  whole 
valley.     Miss  Temple  then  proceeded  alone.     She  ascended ! 
the  road  which  has  been  so  often  •  mentioned  in  our  narra 
tive,  with  an  elastic  and  firm  step,  fearful  that  the  delay  in  •, 
the  store  of  Mr.  Le  Quoi,  and  the  time  necessary  for  reach 
ing  the  summit,  would  prevent  her  being  punctual   to  the 
appointment.     "Whenever    she   passed  an    opening   in    the* 
bushes,  she  would  pause  for  breath,  or,  perhaps,  drawn  fromi 
her    pursuit    by  the  picture    at    her  feet,  would    linger  at 
moment  to  gaze  at  the  beauties  of  the  valley.     The  longj 
drought  had,  however,  changed  its  coat  of  verdure  to  a  hue 
of  brown.;  and,  though   the  same  localities  were  there,  thes 
view  wan  ted  the  lively  and  cheering  aspect  of  early  summer.. 
Eveo  the  heavens   seemed  to  share  in  the  dried  appearance 
of  the  earth,  for  the  sun  was  concealed  by  a  haziness  in  thee 
atmosphere,  which   looked   like   a    thin    smoke    without  a 
particle  of  moisture,  if  such  a  thing  were  possible.     The 
blue   sky  was  scarcely  to  be  seen,  though  now  and  them 
there  was  a  faint  lighting  up  in  spots,  through  which  massew 


THE    PIONEERS.  415 

of  rolling  vapor  could  be  discerned  gathering  around  the 
horizon,  as  if  nature  were  struggling  to  collect  her  floods 
for  the  relief  of  man.  The  very  atmosphere  that  Elizabeth 
inhaled  was  hot  and  dry,  and  by  the  time  she  reached  the 
point  where  the  course  led  her  from  the  highway,  she 
experienced  a  sensation  like  suffocation.  But,  disregarding 
Ler  feelings,  she  hastened  to  execute  her  mission,  dwelling1 
on  nothing  but  the  disappointment,  and  even  the  helpless 
ness,  the  hunter  would  experience,  without  her  aid. 

On  the  summit  of  the  mountain  which  Judge  Temple  had 
named  the  "  Vision,"  a  little  spot  had  been  cleared,  in  order 
that  a  better  view  might  be  obtained  of  the  village  and  the 
valley.  At  this  point  Elizabeth  understood  the  hunter  she 
was  to  meet  him ;  and  thither  she  urged  her  way,  as  expedi- 
tiously  as  the  difficulty  of  the  ascent,  and  the  impediments 
of  a  forest,  in  a  state  of  nature,  would  admit.  Numberless 
were  the  fragments  of  rocks,  trunks  of  fallen  -trees,  and 
branches,  with  which  she  had  to  contend ;  but  every  diffi 
culty  vanished  before  her  resolution,  and  by  her  own  watch, 
she  stood  on  the  desired  spot  several  minutes  before  the 
appointed  hour. 

After  resting  a  moment  on  the  end  of  a  log,  Miss  Temple 
cast  a  glance  about  her  in  quest  of  her  old  friend,  but  he 
was  evidently  not  in  the  clearing  ;  she  arose'  and  walked 
around  its  skirts,  examining  every  place  where  she  thought 
it  probable  Natty  might  deem  it  prudent  to  conceal  himself. 
Her  search  was  fruitless ;  and,  after  exhausting  not  onl* 
herself,  but  her  conjectures,  in  efforts  to  discover  or  imaging 
his  situation,  she  ventured  to  trust  her  voice  in  that  solitary 
place. 

"  Natty  !  Leather-Stocking  !  old  man  !  "  she  called  alcud, 
lu  every  direction  ;  but  no  answer  was  given,  excepting  the 
reverberations  of  her  own  clear  tones,  as  they  were  echoed 
in  the  parched  forest. 

Elizabeth  approached  the  brow  of  the  mountain,  where  a 
faint  cry,  like  the  noise  produced  by  striking  the  hand 
against  the  mouth,  at  the  same  time  that  the  breath  is 
Btrongly  exhaled,  was  heard  answering  to  her  own  voice. 
Not  doubting  in  the  least  that  :*t  was  tho  Leather-Stocking 


PIONEERS. 

lying  in  wait  for  her,  and  who  gave  that  signal  to  indicate 
the  place  where  he  was  to  be  found,  Elizabeth  descended 
for  near  a  hundred  feet,  until  she  gained  a  little  natural 
terrace,  thinly  scattered  with  trees,  that  grew  in  the  fissures 
of  the  rocks,  which  were  covered  by  a  scanty  soil.  She  had 
advanced  to  the  edge  of  this  platform,  and  was  gazing  over 
the  perpendicular  precipice  that  formed  its  face,  when  a 
rustling  among  the  dry  leaves  near  her  drew  her  eyes  in 
another  direction.  Our  heroine  certainly  was  startled  by 
the  object  that  she  then  'saw,  but  a  moment  restored  her 
•elf-possession,  -and  she  advanced  firmly,  and  with  some 
interest  in  her  manner,  to  the  spot. 

Mohegan  was  seated  on  the  trunk  of  a  fallen  oak,  with 
his  tawny  visage  turned  towards  her,  and  his  eyes  fixed  on 
her  face  with  an  expression  of  wildness  and  fire,  that  would 
have  terrified  a  less  resolute  female.  His  blanket  had  fallen 
.from  his  shoulders,  and  was  lying  in  folds  around  him,  leav 
ing  his  breast,  arms,  and  most  of  his  body  bare.  The 
medallion  of  Washington  reposed  on  his  chest,  a  badge  of 
distinction  that  Elizabeth  well  knew  he  only  produced  on 
great  and  solemn  occasions.  But  the  whole  appearance  of 
the  aged  chief  was  more  studied  than  common,  and  in  some 
particulars  it  was  terrific.  The  long  black  hair  was  plaited 
on  his  head,  foiling  away,  so  as  to  expose  his  high  forehead 
and  piercing  eyes.  In  the  enormous  incisions  of  his  carp 
were  entwined  ornaments  of  silver,  beads,  and  porcupine's 
quills,  mingled  in  a  rude  taste,  and  after  the  Indian  fashions. 
A  large  drop,  composed  of  similar  materials,  was  suspended 
from  the  cartilage  of  his  nose,  and,  falling  below  his  lips, 
rested  on  his  chin.  Streaks  of  red  paint  crossed  his  wrinkled 
brow,  and  were  traced  down  his  cheeks,  with  such  variations 
in  the  lines  as  caprice  or  custom  suggested.  His  body  was 
also  colored  in  the  same  manner  ;  the  whole  exhibiting  an 
Indian  warrior,  prepared  for  some  event  of  more  than  usual 
moment. 

"  John  !  how  fare  you,  worthy  John  ?  "  said  Elizabeth,  aa 
she  approached  him;  "you  have  long  been  a  stranger  in 
the  village.  You  promised  me  a  willow  basket,  and  I 
long  had  a  shirt  of  c&lioo  in  readiness  for  you." 


THE  FiOilKiyA  417 


The  Indian  looked  steadily  at  her  for  some  time  without 
inaworing,  and  then,  shaking  his  head,  he  replied,  in  hU  low, 
guttnral  tones,  — 

u  John's  hand  can  make  baskets  no  more  —  ho  wants  no 
shirt." 

"  But  if  he  should,  he  will  know  where  to  come  for  it,n 
returned  Miss  Temple.  "  Indeed,  old  John,  I  feel  as  if  you 
had  a  natural  right  to  order  what  you  will  from  us." 

"  Daughter,"  said  the  Indian,  "  listen  :  Six  times  ten 
hot  summers  have  passed  since  John  was  young  ;  tall  like  a 
pine  ;  straight  like  the  bullet  of  Hawkeye  ;  strong  as  tho 
buffalo  ;  spry  as  the  cat  of  the  mountain.  He  was  strong, 
and  a  warrior  like  the  Young  Eagle.  If  his  tribe  wanted 
to  track  the  Maquas  for  many  suns,  the  eye  of  Chingach- 
gook  found  the  print  of  their  moccasins.  If  the  people 
feasted  and  were  glad,  as  they  counted  the  scalps  of  their 
enemies,  it  was  on  his  pole  they  hung.  If  the  squaws  cried 
because  there  was  no  meat  for  their  children,  he  was  the 
first  in  the  chase.  His  bullet  was  swifter  than  the  deer. 
I  Daughter,  then  Chingachgook  struck  his  tomahawk  into  the 
•trees  ;  it  was  to  tell  the  lazy  ones  where  to  find  him  and  the 
!  Mingos  —  but  he  made  no  baskets." 

I  "  Those  times  have  gone  by,  old  warrior,"  returnee*  Eliza- 
f'beth;  "since  then  your  people  have  disappeared,  and,  in 
i!  place  of  chasing  your  enemies,  you  have  learned  to  fear 
I  God  and  to  live  at  peace." 

"  Stand  here,  daughter,  where  you   can   see   the  great 

I  spring,  the  wigwams  of  your  father,  and  the  land,  on  tJio 

Crooked  River.    John  was  young  when  his  tribe  gave  away 

jj  the  country,  in  council,  from  where  the  blue  mountain  stands 

j:  above  the  water,  to  where  the  Susquehanna  is  hid  by  the 

[I  trees.     All  this,  and  all  that  grew  in  it,  and  all  that  walked 

i  over  it,  and  all  that  fed  there,  they  gave  to  the  Fire-eater  — 

for  they  loved  him.     He  was  strong,  and  they  were  women, 

Mid  he  helped  them.     No  Delaware  would  kill  a  deer  that 

i-an  hi  his  woods,  nor  stop  a  bird  that  flew  over  his  laud  ; 

,  for  it  was  his.     Has  John  lived  in  peace  ?     Daughter,  since 

John  was  young,  he  has  seen  the  white  man  from  Frontenac 

oome  down  on  his  white  brothers  at  Albany  and  fight.     Did 


418  THE  PIONEERS. 

they  few  God  ?  He  has  seen  his  English  and  his  American 
fathers  burying  their  tomahawks  in  each  other's  brains,  fot 
this  very  land.  Did  they  fear  God,  and  live  in  peace  ?  H« 
has  seeii  the  land  pass  away  from  the  Fire-eater,  and  bin 
children,  and  the  child  of  his  child,  and  a  new  chief  set  OTSf 
the  country.  Did  they  live  in  peace  who  did  this  ?  did  they 
fear  God?" 

"  Such  is  the  custom  of  the  whites,  John.  Do  not  the 
Delawares  fight,  and  exchange  their  lands  for  powder,  and  • 
blankets,  and  merchandise  ?  " 

The  Indian  turned  his  dark  eyes  on  his  companion,  and 
kept  them  there  with  a  scrutiny  that  alarmed  her  a  little. 

u  Where  are  the  blankets  and  merchandise  that  bought? 
the  right  of  the  Fire-eater?"  he  replied,  in  a  more  animated] 
voice;  "are  they  with  him  in  his  wigwam?  Did  they  say] 
to  him,  Brother,  sell  us  your  land,  and  take  this  gold,  this] 
silver,  these  blankets,  these  rifles,  or  even  this  rum  ?"  No; 
they  tore  it  from  him,  as  a  scalp  is  torn  from  an  enemy;; 
and  they  that  did  it  looked  not  behind  them,  to  see  whether- 
he  lived  or  died.  Do  such  men  live  in  peace,  and  fear  tho 
Great  Spirit?" 

"  But  you  hardly  understand  the  circumstances,"  said 
Elizabeth,  more  embarrassed  than  she  would  own,  even  toj 
herself.  "  If  you  knew  our  laws  and  customs  better,  you^ 
would  judge  differently  of  our  acts.  Do  not  believe  evil  ofj 
my  father,  old  Mohegan,  for  he  is  just  and  good." 

u  The  brother  of  Miquon  is  good,  and  he  will  do  right. 
I  have  said  it  to  Hawkeye  —  I  have  said  it  to  the  Young" 
Eagle,  that  the  brother  of  Miquon  would  do  justice." 

"  Whom  call  you  the  Young  Eagle  ? "  said  Elizabeth, 
averting  her  face  from  the  gaze  of  the  Indian,  as  she  asked 
tho  question ;  "  whence  comes  he,  and  what  are  his  rights?" 

"lias  my  daughter  lived  so  long  with  him  to  ask  thi» 
jiest'on?"  returned  the  Indian  warily.  "Old  age  freezes 
iiji  i lie  blood,  as  the  frosts  cover  the  great  spring  in  winter; 
bin  youth  keeps  the  streams  of  the  blood  open  like  a  sun  in 
tLe  time  of  blossoms.  The  Young  Eagle  has  cyea ;  had  he 
no  tongue  ?  " 

Tbe  loveliness  to  which  the  old  warrior  alluded  was  iu  n« 


TIIE  PIONEERS.  419 

degree  diminished  by  his  allegorical  speech ;  for  the  blushei 
of  the  maiden  who  listened  covered  her  burning  cheeks,  till 
her  dark  eyes  seemed  to  glow  with  their  reflection;  but, 
after  struggling  a  moment  with  shame,  she  laughed,  as  if 
unwilling  to  understand  him  seriously,  and  replied  in  pleas 
antry,  — 

"  Not  to  make  me  the  mistress  of  his  secret.  He  is  too 
much  of  a  Delaware  to  tell  his  secret  thoughts  to  a  woman." 

"  Daughter,  the  Great  Spirit  made  your  father  with  a 
white  skin,  and  he  made  mine  with  a  red ;  but  he  colored 
both  their  hearts  with  blood.  When  young,  it  is  swift  and 
warm ;  but  when  old,  it  is  still  and  cold.  Is  there  differ 
ence  below  the  skin?  No.  Once  John  had  a  woman. 
She  was  the  mother  of  so  many  sons"-  — he  raised  his  hand 
with  three  lingers  elevated  —  "and  she  had  daughters  that 
would  have  made  the  young  Delawares  happy.  She  was 
kind,  daughter,  and  what  I  said  she  did.  You  have  different 
fashions ;  but  do  you  think  John  did  not  love  the  wife  of 
his  youth  —  the  mother  of  his  children  ?  " 

"  And  what  has  become  of  your  family,  John,  your  wife 
and  your  children  ? "  asked  Elizabeth,  touched  by  the  In 
dian's  manner. 

"  Where  is  the  ice  that  covered  the  great  spring  ?  It  is 
melted,  and  gone  with  the  waters.  John  has  lived  till  all 
his  people  have  left  him  for  the  land  of  spirits ;  his  time  has 
come,  and  he  is  ready." 

Mohegan  dropped  his  head  in  his  blanket,  and  sat  in 
silence.  Miss  Temple  know  not  what  to  say.  She  wished 
to  draw  the  thoughts  of  the  old  warrior  from  his  gloomy 
recollections,  but  there  was  a  dignity  in  his  sorrow,  and  in 
his  fortitude,  that  repressed  her  efforts  to  speak.  After  a 
long  pause,  however,  she  renewed  the  discourse,  by  asking, — 

"  Where  is  the  Leather-Stocking,  John  ?  '  I  have  brought 
chis  canister  of  powder  at  his  request ;  but  he  is  nowhere 
to  be  seen.  Will  you  take  charge  of  it,  and  see  it  deliv 
ered?" 

The  Indian  raised  his  head  slowly,  and  looked  earnestly 
at  the  gift,  which  she  put  into  his  hand. 

"This  is  the  great  enemy  of  my  nation.     Without   thU 


420  THE  PIONEERS. 

when  could  the  white  men  drive  the  Delawares?  Daughter, 
the  Great  Spirit  gave  your  fathers  to  know  how  to  make 
guns  and  powder,  that  they  might  sweep  the  Indians  from 
the  land.  There  will  soon  be  no  red-skin  in  the  country. 
When  John  is  gone,  the  last  will  leave  these  hills,  and  his 
family  will  be  dead."  The  aged  warrior  stretched  his  body 
forward,  leaning  an  elbow  on  his  knee,  and  appeared  to  be 
baking  a  parting  look  at  the  objects  of  the  vale,  which  were 
still  visible  through  the  misty  atmosphere,  though  the  air 
seemed  to  thicken  at  each  moment  around  Miss  Temple, 
who  became  conscious  of  an  increased  difficulty  of  respira 
tion.  The  eye  of  Mohegan  changed  gradually  from  its 
sorrowful  expression  to  a  look  of  wildness  that  might  be 
supposed  to  border  on  the  inspiration  of  a  prophet,  as  he 
continued, "  But  he  will  go  to  the  country  where  his  father* 
have  met.  The  game  shall  be  plenty  as  the  fish  in  the 
lakes.  No  woman  shall  cry  for  meat ;  no  Mingo  can  ever 
come.  The  chase  shall  be  for  children ;  and  all  just  red- 
men  shall  live  together  as  brothers." 

"  John !  this  is  not  the  heaven  of  a  Christian ! "  cried 
Miss  Temple ;  **  you  deal  now  in  the  superstition  of  your 
forefathers." 

"  Fathers !  sons ! "  said  Mohegan  with  firmness,  "  all 
gone  —  all  gone!  I  have  no  son  but  the  Young  Eagle, 
and  he  has  the  blood  of  a  white  man." 

"Tell  me,  John,"  said  Elizabeth,  willing  to  draw  his 
thoughts  to  other  subjects,  and  at  the  same  time  yielding  to 
her  own  powerful  interest  in  the  youth ;  "  who  is  this  Mr. 
Edwards  ?  why  are  you  so  fond  of  him,  and  whence  does* 
he  come  ?  " 

The  Indian  started  at  the  question,  which  evidently  re 
called  his  recollection  to  earth.  Taking  her  hand,  he  drew 
Miss  Temple  to  a  seat  beside  him,  and  pointed  to  the 
country  beneath  them:  — 

u  See,  daughter,"  he  said,  directing  her  looks  towards  the 
north  ;  "  as  far  as  your  young  eyes  can  see,  it  was  the  land 
of  his  "  — 

But  immense  volumes  of  smoke  at  that  moment  rolled 
over  their  heads,  and,  whirling  in  the  eddies  formed  by  the 


THE   PIONEERS.  421 

moan  tains,  interposed  a  barrier  to  their  bight,  while  he  was 
speaking.  Startled  by  this  circumstance,  Miss  Temple 
sprang  on  her  feet,  and  turning  her  eyes  towards  the  sum* 
mit  of  the  mountain,  she  beheld  it  covered  by  a  similar 
canopy,  while  a  roaring  sound  was  heard  in  the  forest  above 
her  like  the  rushing  of  winds. 

"  What  means  it,  John  ! "  she  exclaimed  ;  "  we  are  en 
veloped  in  smoke,  and  I  feel  a  heat  like  the  glow  of  a  fur 
nace." 

Before  the  Indian  could  reply,  a  voice  was  heard  crying 
in  the  woods, — 

"  John  !  where  are  you,  old  Mohegan !  the  woods  are  on 
fire,  arid  you  have  but  a  minute  for  escape." 

The  chief  put  his  hand  before  his  mouth,  and  making  it 
play  on  his  lips,  produced  the  kind  of  noise  that  had  attracted 
Elizabeth  to  the  place,  when  a  quick  and  hurried  step  was 
heard  dashing  through  the  dried  underbrush  and  bushes,  and 
presently  Edwards  rushed  to  his  side,  with  horror  in  evsrj 
feature. 


422  THE  PIONEEBS. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

\  ove  rules  the  court,  the  camp,  the  grove 

LAY  OF  THE  LAST  MLNSTBXL. 

*  IT  would  have  been  sad,  indeed,  to  lose  you  in  such  a 
manner,  my  old  friend,"  said  Oliver,  catching  his  breath  for 
utterance.  "  Up  and  away  !  even  now  we  may  be  too  late ; 
the  flames  are  circling  round  the  point  of  the  rock  below, 
and,  unless  we  can  pass  there,  our  only  chance  must  be  over 
the  precipice.  Away  !  away !  \  shake  off  your  apathy,  John ; 
now  is  the  time  of  need." 

Mohegan  pointed  towards  Elizabeth,  who,  forgetting  her 
danger,  had  shrunk  back  to  a  projection  of  the  rock  as  soon 
as  she  recognized  the  sounds  of  Edwards'  voice,  and  said 
with  something  like  awakened  animation,  — 

"  Save  her  —  leave  John  to  die." 

<l  Her !  whom  mean  you  ? "  cried  the  youth,  turning 
quickly  to  the  place  the  other  indicated:  but  when  he 
saw  the  figure  of  Elizabeth  bending  towards  him  in  an  atti 
tude  that  powerfully  spoke  terror,  blended  with  reluctance 
to  meet  him  in  such  a  place,  the  shock  deprived  him  of 
speech. 

"  Miss  Temple  ! "  he  cried,  when  he  found  words ;  "  you 
here  !  is  such  a  death  reserved  for  you  ! " 

"  No,    no,    no  :    no  death,    I   hope,  for  any  of  us,  Mr. 
Edwards,"  she  replied,  endeavoring  to  speak  calmly  :  "  there 
i  s  smoke,  but  no  fire  to  harm  us.     Let  us  endeavor  to  re 
tire." 

"  Take  my  arm,"  said  Edwards ;  "  there  must  be  an  open 
ing  in  some  direction  for  your  retreat.  Are  you  equal  to 
the  effort  ?  " 

"  CortaiLly.  You  surely  magnify  the  danger,  Mr.  Ed 
wards.  Lead  me  out  the  way  you  came." 

1  See  Appendix,  Not*  N 


THE  PIONEERS. 


124  THE  PIONEERS. 

Immense  clouds  of  white  smoke  had  been  pouring  ovoi 
tae  summit  of  the  mountain,  and  had  concealed  the  approach 
and  ravages  of  the  element ;  but  a  crackling  sound  drew  the 
eyos  of  Miss  Temple,  as  she  flew  over  the  ground,  supported 
by  the  young  man,  towards  the  outline  of  smoke,  where! 
she  already  perceived  the  waving  flames  shooting  forward 
from  the  vapor,  now  flaring  high  in  the  air,  and  then  bend-* 
ing  to  the  earth,  seeming  to  light  into  combustion  every* 
stick  and  shrub  on  which  they  breathed.  The  sight  aroused 
them  to  redoubled  efforts ;  but,  unfortunately,  a  collection 
of  the  tops  of  trees,  old  and  dried,  lay  directly  across  their 
course  ;  and,  at  the  very  moment  when  both  had  thought 
their  safety  insured,  the  warm  currents  of  the  air  swept  a 
forked  tongue  of  flame  across  the  pile,  which  lighted  at  the 
touch  ;  and  when  they  reached  the  spot,  the  flying  pair  were 
opposed  by  the  surly  roaring  of  a  body  of  fire,  as  if  a  furnace 
were  glowing  in  their  path.  They  recoiled  from  the  heac£ 
and  stood  on  a  point  of  the  rock,  gazing  in  a  stupor  at  the- 
flames,  which  were  spreading  rapidly  down  the  mountain, 
whose  side  soon  became  a  sheet  of  living  fire.  It  was  dan-' 
gerous  for  one  clad  in  the  light  and  airy  dress  of  Elizabeth 
to  approach  even  the  vicinity  of  the  raging  element ;  and 
those  flowing  robes,  that  gave  such  softness  and  grace  to  her 
form,  seemed  now  to  be  formed  for  the  instruments  of  her 
destruction. 

The  villagers  were  accustomed  to  resort  to  that  hill  in 
quest  of  timber  and  fuel ;  in  procuring  which,  it  was  their 
usage  to  take  only  the  bodies  of  the  trees,  leaving  the  topi 
and  branches  to  decay  under  the  operations  of  the  weather. 
Much  of  the  hill  was,  consequentlv,  covered  with  such  light 
fuel,  which,  having  been  scorched  under  the  sun  for  the  last 
two  months,  was  ignited  with  a  touch.  Indeed,  in  some 
cases,  there  did  not  appear  to  be  any  contact  between  the 
fire  and  these  piles,  but  the  flames  seemed  to  dart  from  heapi 
to  heap,  as  the  fabulous  fire  of  the  temple  is  represented  to 
reillume  its  neglected  lamp. 

There  was  beauty  as  well  as  terror  in  the  sight,  and 
Edwards  and  Elizabeth  stood  viewing  the  progress  of  the 
desolation,  with  a  strange  mixture  of  horror  and  interest 


THE  PIONEERS.  .  425 

The  former,  however,  shortly  roused  himself  to  new  exer 
tions,  and  drawing  his  companion  after  him,  they  skirted 
the  edge  of  the  smoke,  the  young  man  penetrating  frequently 
into  its  dense  volumes  in  search  of  a  passage,  but  in  every 
instance  without  success.  In  this  manner  they  proceeded 
.hi  a  semicircle  around  the  upper  part  of  the  terrace,  until, 
arriving  at  the  verge  of  the  precipice,  opposite  to  the  point 
where  Edwards  had  ascended,  the  horrid  conviction  burst  on 
both  at  the  same  instant,  that  they  were  completely  encircled 
by  the  fire.  So  long  as  a  single  pass  up  or  down  the  mountain 
was  unexplored,  there  was  hope;  but  when  retreat  seemed 
jto  be  absolutely  impracticable,  the  horror  of  their  situation 
broke  upon  Elizabeth  as  powerfully  as  if  she  had  hitherto 
considered  the  danger  light. 

"  This  mountain  is  doomed  to  be  fatal  to  me  ! "  she  whis 
pered  ;  "  we  shall  find  our  graves  on  it !  " 

"  Say  not  so,  Miss  Temple ;  there  is  yet  hope,"  returned 
the  youth,  in  the  same  tone,  while  the  vacant  expression  of 
ibis  eye  contradicted  his  words  ;  "let  us  return  to  the  point 
of  the  rock  ;  there  is  —  there  must  be  —  some  place  about 
[it  where  we  can  descend." 

l.  "  Lead  me  there,"  exclaimed  Elizabeth ;  "  let  us  leave  no 
effort  untried."  She  did  not  wait  for  his  compliance,  but, 
turninjr,  retraced  her  steps  to  the  brow  of  the  precipice, 
murmuring  to  herself,  in  suppressed,  hysterical  sobs,  "  My 
father  !  my  poor,  my  distracted  father !  " 

Edwards  was  by  her  side  in  an  instant,  and  with  aching 
l  eyes  he  examined  every  fissure  in   the   crags,  in  quest  of 
some  opening  that  might  offer  facilities  for  flight.     But  the 
smooth,  even  surface  of  the  rocks  afforded  hardly  a  resting- 
place  for  a  foot,  much  less  those  continued  projections  which 
I  would  have  been  necessary  for   a  descent   of  nearly  a  hun 
dred  feet.     Edwards  was  not  slow  in  feeling  the  conviction 
that  this  hope  was  also  futile,  and,  with  a  kind  of  feverish 
despair  that  still  urged  him  to  action,  he  turned  to  some 
new  expedient. 

"  There  is  nothing  left.  Miss  Temple,"  he  said,  "  but  to 
lower  you  from  this  place  to  the  rock  beneath.  If  Natty 
*ere  here,  or  even  that  Indian  could  be  roused,  their  inge* 


426  THE  PIONEERS. 

unity  and  long  practice  would  easily  devise  methods  to  do 
it ;  but  I  am  a  child  at  this  moment  in  everything  but  dar« 
ing.  Where  shall  I  find  means  ?  This  dress  of  mine  is  so 
light,  and  there  is  so  little  of  it  —  then  the  blanket  of  Mo- 
hegan  — we  must  try —  we  must  try —  anything  is  better 
than  to  see  you  a  victim  to  such  a  death  ! " 

"  And  what  will  become  of  you  ?  "  said  Elizabeth.  "  In-: 
deed,  indeed,  neither  you  nor  John  must  be  sacrificed  to 
my  safety." 

He  heard  her  not,  for  he  was  already  by  the  side  of  Mo* 
began,  who  yielded  his  blanket  without  a  question,  retaining 
his  seat  with  Indian  dignity  and  composure,  though  his  own 
situation  was  even  more  critical  than  that  of  the  others. 
The  blanket  was  cut  into  shreds,  and  the  fragments  fas 
tened  together;  the  loose  linen  jacket  of  the  youth,  and 
the  light  muslin  shawl  of  Elizabeth,  were  attached  to  them,: 
and  the  whole  thrown  over  the  rocks,  with  the  rapidity  of 
lightning;  but  the  united  pieces  did  not  reach  half-way  to| 
the  bottom. 

"  It  will  not  do  —  it  will  flot  do !  "  cried  Elizabeth ;  "  foiH 
me  there  is  no  hope  !  The  fire  comes  slowly,  but  certainly. 
See,  it  destroys  the  very  earth  before  it !  " 

Had  the  flames  spread  on  that  rock  with  half  the  quickH 
ness  with  which  they  leaped  from  bush  to  tree,  in  other 
parts  of  the  mountain,  our  painful  task  would  have  soon 
ended ;  for  they  would  have  consumed  already  the  captives 
they  inclosed.  But  the  peculiarity  of  their  situation  af 
forded  Elizabeth  and  her  companion  the  respite  of  which 
they  had  availed  themselves  to  make  the  efforts  we  have 
recorded. 

The  thin  covering  of  earth  on  the  rock  supported  but  aj 
scanty  and  faded  herbage,  and  most  of  the  trees  that  had 
found  root  in  the  fissures  had  already  died,  during  the   in 
tense  heats  of  preceding  summers.     Those  which   still   re-3 
tained  the  appearance  of  life  bore  a  few  dry  and  withered 
leaves,  while  the  others  were  merely  the  wrecks  of  pines,1! 
oaks,  and  maples.     No  better  materials  to  feed   the   fire 
could  be  found,  had  there  been  'a  communication  with  the 
Barnes ;  but  the  ground  was  destitute  of  the  brush  that  led 


THE  PIONEERS.  427 

Ae  destructive  element,  like  a  torrent,  over  the  remainder 
of  the  hill.  As  auxiliary  to  this  scarcity  of  fuel,  one  of 
the  large  springs  which  abound  in  that  country  gashed  out 
of  the  side  of  the  ascent  above,  and,  after  creeping  slug 
gishly  along  the  level  land,  saturating  the  mossy  covering 
of  the  rock  with  moisture,  it  swept  round  the  base  of  the 
little  cone  that  formed  the  pinnacle  of  the  mountain,  and, 
entering  the  canopy  of  smoke  near  one  of  the  terminations 
of  the  terrace,  found  its  way  to  the  lake,  not  by  dashing 
from  rock  to  rock,  but  by  the  secret  channels  of  the  eartliu 
It  would  rise  to  the  surface,  here  and  there,  in  the  wet  sea 
sons,  but  in  the  droughts  of  summer  it  was  to  be  traced 
only  by  the  bogs  and  moss  that  announced  the  proximity 
of  water.  When  the  fire  reached  this  barrier,  it  was  com 
pelled  to  pause,  until  a  concentration  of  its  heat  could  over 
come  the  moisture,  like  an  army  waiting  the  operations  of 
a  battering  train,  to  open  its  way  to  desolation. 

That  fatal  moment  seemed  now  to  have  arrived,  for  the 
hissing  steams  of  the  spring  appeared  to  be  nearly  ex 
hausted,  and  the  moss  of  the  rocks  was  already  curling 
under  the  intense  heat,  while  fragments  of  bark,  that  yet 
clung  to  the  dead  trees,  began  to  separate  from  their  trunks, 
and  foil  to  the  ground  in  crumbling  masses.  The  air 
seemed  quivering  with  rays  of  heat,  which  might  be  seen 
playing  along  the  parched  stems  of  the  trees.  There  were 
moments  when  dark  clouds  of  smoke  would  sweep  along  the 
little  terrace  ;  and,  as  the  eye  lost  its  power,  the  other  senses 
contributed  to  give  effect  to  the  fearful  horror  of  the  scene. 
At  such  moments,  the  roaring  of  the  flames,  the  crackling 
of  the  furious  element,  with  the  tearing  of  falling  brandies, 
and,  occasionally,  the  thundering  echoes  of  some  falling 
tree,  united  to  alarm  the  victims.  Of  the  throe,  however, 
the  youth  appeared  much  the  most  agitated.  Elizabeth, 
having  relinquished  entirely  the  idea  of  escape,  was  fast 
fbtaining  that  resigned  composure  with  which  the  most  del- 
cate  of  her  sex  are  sometimes  known  to  meet  unavoidable 
ovils ;  while  Mohegan,  who  was  much  nearer  to  the  danger, 
tnaintuined  his  seat  with  the  invincible  resignation  of  an 
Indian  warrior.  Once  or  twice  the  eye  of  the  aged  chietj 


128  THE  PIONEERS. 

which  was  ordinarily  fixed  in  the  direction  of  the  distant  hills, 
turned  towards  the  young  pair,  who  seemed  doomed  to  so 
early  a  death,  with  a  slight  indication  of  pity  crossing  his 
composed  features,  but  it  would  immediately  revert  again 
to  its  former  gaze,  as  if  already  looking  into  the  womb  of 
futurity.  Much  of  the  time  he  was  chanting  a  kind  of  low 
dirge,  in  the  Delaware  tongue,  using  the  deep  and  remark- 
iibly  guttural  tones  of  his  people. 

"At  such  a  moment,  Mr.  Edwards,  all  earthly  distinc 
tions  end,"  whispered  Elizabeth ;  "  persuade  John  io  move 
uearei  to  us  ;  let  us  die  together." 

O 

"I  cannot  —  he  will  riot  stir,"  returned  the  youth,  in  tho 
same  horridly  still  tones.  "  He  considers  this  as  *lie  hap 
piest  moment  of  his  life.  He  is  past  seventy,  and  has  been 
decaying  rapidly  for  some  time :  he  received  some  injury  in 
chasing  that  unlucky  deer,  too,  on  the  lake.  O  !  Miss  Tem 
ple,  that  was  an  unlucky  chase  indeed !  it  has  led,  I  fear,  to 
this  awful  scene." 

The  smile  of  Elizabeth  was  celestial.  "  Why  name  such 
a  trifle  now  —  at  this  moment  the  heart  is  dead  to  all 
earthly  emotions  ! " 

"  If  anything  could  reconcile  a  man  to  this  death,"  cried 
the  youth,  "  it  would  be  to  meet  it  in  such  company !  " 

"  Talk  not  so,  Edwards,  talk  not  so,"  interrupted  Miss 
Temple.  "  I  am  unworthy  of  it ;  and  it  is  unjust  to  your 
self.  We  must  die  ;  yes,  yes  —  we  must  die  —  it  is  tho 
will  of  God,  and  let  us  endeavor  to  submit  like  his  own 
children." 

"  Die  !  "  the  youth  rather  shrieked  than  exclaimed,  "  No^ 
no,  no ;  there  must  yet  be  hope ;  you  at  least  must  not, 
shall  not  die  !  " 

"  In  what  way  can  we  escape  ?  "  asked  Elizabeth,  point- 
ug  with  a  look  of  heavenly  composure  towards  the  fire. 
*  Observe  !  the  flame  is  crossing  the  barrier  of  wet  ground 
•—it  comes  slowly,  Edwards,  but  surely.  Ah!  see!  the 
tree  !  the  tree  is  already  lighted  !  " 

Her  wo~ds  were  too  true.  The  heat  of  the  conflagra 
tion  had  at  length  overcome  the  resistance  of  the  spring, 
and  the  fire  was  slowly  stealing  along  the  half-dried  moss 


THE   PIONEERS.  429 

while  a  dead  pine  kindled  with  the  touch  of  a  forked  flame, 
that,  for  a  moment,  wreathed  around  the  steiL  of  the  tree, 
as  it  whirled,  in  one  of  its  evolutions,  under  tha  influence 
of  the  air.  The  effect  was  instantaneous.  The  flames 
danced  along  the  parched  trunk  of  the  pine,  like  lightning 
quivering  on  a  chain,  and  immediately  a  column  of  living 
fire  was  raging  on  the  terrace.  It  soon  spread  from  tree 
to  tree :  and  the  scene  was  evidently  drawing  to  a  close. 
The  log  on  which  Mohegan  was  seated  lighted  at  its  further 
end,  and  the  Indian  appeared  to  be  surrounded  by  fire. 
Still  he  was  unmoved.  As  his  body  was  unprotected,  his 
Bufferings  must  have  been  great ;  but  his  fortitude  was  supe 
rior  to  all.  His  voice  could  yet  be  heard  even  in  the  midst 
of  these  horrors.  Elizabeth  turned  her  head  from  the 
sight,  and-  faced  the  valley.  Furious  eddies  of  wind  were 
created  by  the  heat,  and  just  at  the  moment,  the  canopy  of 
fiery  smoke  that  overhung  the  valley  was  cleared  away, 
leaving  a  distinct  view  of  the  peaceful  village  beneath 
them. 

•"My  father!— my  father!"  shrieked  Elizabeth.  «O! 
this  —  this  purely  might  have  been  spared  me  —  but  I  sub 
mit." 

The  distance  was  not  so  great  but  the  figure  of  Judge 
Temple  could  be  seen,  standing  in  his  own  grounds,  and 
apparently  contemplating,  in  perfect  unconsciousness  of  the 
danger  of  his  child,  the  mountain  in  flames.  This  sight 
was  still  more  painful  than  the  approaching  danger ;  and 
Elizabeth  again  faced  the  hill. 

"  My  intemperate  warmth  has  done  this ! "  cried  Ed 
wards,  in  the  accents  of  despair.  "  If  I  had  possessed  but 
a  moiety  of  your  heavenly  resignation,  Miss  Temple,  all 
might  yet  have  been  well." 

"  Name  it  .not  —  name  it  not,"  she  said.  "  It  is  now  of 
uo  avail.  We  must  die,  Edwards,  we  must  die  —  let  us  do 
*o  as  Christians.  But  —  no  ;  you  may  yet  escape,  perhapo. 
Your  dress  is  not  so  fatal  as  mine.  Fly  !  Leave  me.  An 
opening  may  yet  be  found  for  you,  possibly  —  certainly  it 
Is  worth  the  efforl .  Fly  !  leave  me  —  but  stay  !  You  will 
lee  my  father  ;  my  poor,  my  bereaved  father !  Say  to  him, 


430  THE  PIONEERS. 

then,  Edwards,  say  to  him  all  that  can  appease  his  anguish- 
Tell  him  that  I  died  happy  and  collected  ;  that  I  have  gone 
to  my  beloved  mother ;  that  the  hours  of  this  life  are  as 
nothing  when  balanced  in  the  scales  of  eternity.  Say  how 
we  shall  meet  again.  And  say,"  she  continued,  dropping 
her  voice,  that  had  risen  with  her  feelings,  as  if  conscious 
of  her  worldly  weaknesses,  "  how  dear,  how  very  dear,  was 
my  love  for  him ;  that  it  was  near,  too  near,  to  my  love  for 
God." 

The  youth  listened  to  her  touching  accents,  but  moved 
not.  In  a  moment  he  found  utterance,  and  replied  :  — 

"  And  is  it  me  that  you  command  to  leave  you !  to  leave 
you  on  the  edge  of  the  grave  !  O !  Miss  Temple,  how  lit 
tle  have  you  known  me ! "  he  cried,  dropping  on  hia 
knees  at  her  feet,  and  gathering  her  flowing  robe  in  hia 
arms  as  if  to  shield  her  from  the  flames.  "  I  have  been 
driven  to  the  woods  in  despair ;  but  your  society  has  tamed 
the  lion  within  me.  If  I  have  wasted  my  time  in  degra 
dation,  'twas  you  that  charmed  me  to  it.  If  I  have  forgot 
ten  my  name  and  family,  your  form  supplied  the  place  of 
memory.  If  I  have  forgotten  my  wrongs,  'twaji  you  that 
taught  me  charity.  No,  no,  dearest  Elizabeth,  I  may  die 
with  you,  but  I  can  never  leave  you !  " 

Elizabeth  moved  not,  nor  answered.  It  was  plain  that 
her  thoughts  had  been  raised  from  the  earth.  The  recol 
lection  of  her  father,  and  her  regrets  at  their  separation, 
had  been  mellowed  by  a  holy  sentiment,  that  lifted  her 
above  the  level  of  earthly  things,  and  she  was  fast  losing 
the  weakness  of  her  sex  in  the  near  view  of  eternity.  But. 
as  she  listened  to  these  words  she  became  once  more  woman. 
She  struggled  against  these  feelings,  and  smiled,  as  she 
thought  she  was  shaking  off  the  last  lingering  feeling  of 
nature,  when  the  world,  and  all  its  seductions,  rushed  again 
to  her  heart,  with  the  sounds  of  a  human  voice,  crying  in 
piercing  tones, — 

"  Gal !  where  be  ye,  gal !  gladden  the  heart  of  an  old 
man,  if  ye  yet  belong  to  'arth  ! " 

"  List !  "  said  Elizabeth.  "  'tis  the  Leather-Stocking  ;  h« 
keeks  me ! " 


THE   PIONEEBS.  431 

"  'Tis  Natty  !  "  shouted  Edwards,  "  and  we  may  yet  txs 
gaved ! n 

A  wide  and  circling  flame  glared  on  their  eyes  for  a 
moment,  even  above  the  rire  of  the  woods,  and  a  loud  re 
port  followed. 

"  'Tis  the  canister !  'tis  the  powder,"  cried  the  same 
voice,  evidently  approaching  them.  "  'Tis  the  canister,  and 
the  precious  child  is  lost !  " 

At  the  next  instant  Natty  rushed  through  the  streams  of 
the  spring,  and  appeared  on  the  terrace,  without  his  deer 
skin  cap,  his  hair  burnt  to  his  head,  his  shirt,  of  country 
check,  black  and  filled  with  holes,  and  his  red  features  of  • 
deeper  color  than  ever,  by  the  heat  he  had  encountered. 


432  THE  PIONEERS 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Even  from  the  land  of  shadows,  now, 
My  father's  awful  ghost  appears. 

GERTRUDE  OF  WYOMWO. 

FOR  an  hour  after  Louisa  Grant  was  left  by  Miss  Tem 
ple,  in  the  situation  already  mentioned,  she  continued  in 
feverish  anxiety,  awaiting  the  return  of  her  friend.  But 
as  the  time  passed  by  without  the  reappearance  of  Eliz 
abeth,  the  terror  of  Louisa  gradually  increased,  until  her 
alarmed  fancy  had  conjured  every  species  of  danger  that 
appertained  to  the  woods,  excepting  the  one  that  really  ex 
isted.  The  heavens  had  become  obscured  by  degrees,  and 
vast  volumes  of  smoke  were  pouring  over  the  valley ;  but 
the  thoughts  of  Louisa  were  «till  recurring  to  beasts,  with 
out  dreaming  of  the  real  cause  for  apprehension.  She  was 
stationed  in  the  edge  of  the  low  pines  and  chestnuts  that 
succeed  the  first  or  large  growth  of  the  forest,  and  directly 
above  the  angle  where  the  highway  turned  from  the  straight 
course  to  the  village,  and  ascended  the  mountain,  later 
ally.  Consequently,  she  commanded  a  view  not  only  of  the 
valley,  but  of  the  road  beneath  her.  The  few  travellers 
that  passed,  she  observed,  were  engaged  in  earnest  conver-  * 
sation,  and  frequently  raised  their  eyes  to  the  hill,  and  at 
length  she  saw  the  people  leaving  the  court-house,  and  gaz 
ing  upwards  also.  While  under  the  influence  of  the  alarm 
excited  by  such  unusual  movements,  reluctant  to  go,  and 
yet  fearful  to  remain,  Louisa  was  startled  by  the  low,  crack 
ing,  but  cautious  treads  of  some  one  approaching  through 
the  bushes.  She  was  on  the  eve  of  night,  when  Natty 
emerged  from  the  cover,  and  stood  at  her  side.  The  old 
man  laughed,  as  he  shook  her  kindly  by  a  hand  that  wai 
passive  with  fear. 


THE   PIONEERS.  438 

"  1  am  glad  to  meet  you  here,  child,"  ho  said  ;  "  for  the 
back  of  the  mountain  is  a-fire,  and  it  would  be  dangerous 
to  go  up  it  now,  till  it  has  been  burnt  over  once,  and  the 
dead  wood  is  gone.  There's  a  foolish  man,  the  comrade  of 
that  varmint  who  has  given  me  all  this  trouble,  digging  tor 
ore  on  the  east  side.  I  told  him  that  the  kearless  fellows, 
who  thought  to  catch  a  practysed  hunter  in  the  woods  after 
dark,  had  thrown  the  lighted  pine  knots  in  the  brush, 
and  that  'twould  kindle  like  tow,  and  warned  him  to  leave 
the  hill.  But  he  was  set  upon  his  business,  and  nothing 
short  of  Providence  could  move  him.  If  he  isn't  burnt 
and  buried  in  a  grave  of  his  own  digging,  he's  made  of  sal 
amanders.  Why,  what  ails  the  child !  you  look  as  skeary 
as  if  you  seed  more  painters !  I  wish  there  were  more  to 
be  found ;  they'd  count  up  faster  than  the  beaver !  But 
where's  the  good  child  of  a  bad  father  ?  did  she  forget  her 
promise  to  the  old  man  ?  " 

"  The  hill !  the  hill ! "  shrieked  Louisa ;  "  she  seeks  you 
on  the  hill  with  the  powder ! " 

Natty  recoiled  several  feet  at  this  unexpected  intelligence. 

"  The  Lord  of  heaven  have  mercy  on  her  !  She's  on  the 
Vision,  and  that's  a  sheet  of  fire  agin  this.  Child,  if  ye 
love  the  dear  one,  and  hope  to  find  a  friend  when  ye  need 
it  most,  to  the  village,  and  give  the  alarm.  The  men  are 
used  to  fighting  fire,  and  there  may  be  a  chance  left.  Fly  I 
I  bid  ye  fly !  nor  stop  even  for  breath." 

The  Leather-Stocking  had  no  sooner  uttered  this  injunc 
tion,  than  he  disappeared  in  the  bushes,  and  when  last  seen 
by  Louisa,  was  rushing  up  the*  mountain,  with  a  speed  that 
none  but  those  who  were  accustomed  to  the  toil  could 
attain. 

"  Have  I  found  ye ! "  the  old  man  exclaimed,  when  he 
burst  out  of  the  smoke ;  "  God  be  praised  that  I've  found 
ye ;  but  follow,  —  there's  no  time  for  talking." 

"  My  dress  ! "  said  Elizabeth  ;  "  it  would  be  fatal  to  trust 
myself  nearer  to  the  flames  in  it." 

"  I  bethought  me  of  your  flimsy  things,"  cried  Natty, 
throwing  loose  the  folds  of  a  covering  of  buckskin  that  he 
carried  on  his  arm,  and  wrapping  her  form  in  it,  in  such  a 
23 


434  THE    PIONEERS. 

manner  as  to  envelop  her  whole  person  ;  "  now  follow,  for 
it's  a  matter  of  life  and  death  to  us  all." 

k<  But  John  !  what  will  become  of  John  ?  "  cried  Ed 
wards  ;  "  can  we  leave  the  old  warrior  here  to  perish  ?  " 

The  eyes  of  Natty  followed  the  direction  of  Edwards'  fin* 
ger,  when  he  beheld  the  Indian,  still  seated  as  before,  with 
the  very  earth  under  his  feet  consuming  with  fire.  With* 
out  delay  the  hunter  approached  the  spot,  and  spoke  in 
Delaware :  — - 

"  Up  and  away,  Chingachgook  !  will  ye  stay  here  to  burn, 
like  a  Mingo  at  the  stake  ?  The  Moravians  have  teach ed 
ye  better,  I  hope  ;  the  Lord  preserve  me  if  the  powder 
hasn't  flashed  atween  his  legs,  and  the  skin  of  his  back  is 
roasting.  Will  ye  come,  I  say  ;  will  ye  follow  ?  " 

"  Why  should  Mohegan  go  ?  "  returned  the  Indian  gloom 
ily.  "  He  has  seen  the  days  of  an  eagle,  and  his  eye  grows 
dim.  He  looks  on  the  valley  ;  he  looks  on  the  water  ;  he 
looks  in  the  hunting-grounds;  but  he  sees  no  Dela  wares. 
Every  one  has  a  white  skin.  My  fathers  say,  from  the  far- 
off  land,  Come.  My  women,  my  young  warriors,  my  tribe, 
say,  Come.  The  Great  Spirit  says,  Come.  Let  Mohegan 
die." 

"  But  you  forget  your  friend,"  cried  Edwards. 

"  'Tis  useless  to  talk  to  an  Indian  with  the  death-fit  on 
him,  lad,"  interrupted  Natty,  who  seized  the  strips  of  the 
blanket,  and  with  wonderful  dexterity  strapped  the  passive 
chieftain  to  his  own  back ;  when  he  turned,  and  with  a 
strength  that  seemed  to  bid  defiance,  not  only  to  his  years, 
but  to  his  load,  he  led  the  way  to  the  point  whence  he  had^ 
issued.  As  they  crossed  the  little  terrace  of  rock,  one  of 
the  dead  trees,  that  had  been  tottering  for  several  minutes, 
fell  on  the  spot  where  they  had  stood,  and  filled  the  air 
with  its  cinders. 

Such  an  event  quickened  the  steps  of  the  party,  who  fol 
lowed  the  Leather-Stocking  with  the  urgency  required  by 
the  occasion. 

"  Tread  on  the  soft  ground,"  he  cried,  when  they  were 
tn  a  gloom  where  sight  availed  them  but  little,  "  and  keep 
in  the  white  smoke  ;  keep  the  skin  close  on  her,  lad ;  she'i 
A  precious  one,  another  will  bo  hard  to  be  found." 


THE  PIONEERS.  435 

Obedient  to  the  hunter's  directions,  they  followed  his  steps 
and  advice  implicitly ;  and  although  the  narrow  passage 
along  the  winding  of  the  spring  led  amid  burning  logs  and 
falling  branches,  they  happily  achieved  it  in  safety.  No  one 
but  a  man  long  accustomed  to  the  woods  could  have  traced 
his  route  through  a  smoke,  in  which  respiration  was  dilJi- 
oult,  and  sight  nearly  useless ;  but  the  experience  of  Natty 
conducted  them  to  an  opening  through  the  rocks,  where, 
with  a  little  difficulty,  they  soon  descended  to  another  ter 
race,  and  emerged  at  once  into  a  tolerably  clear  atmosphere. 

The  feelings  of  Edwards  and  Elizabeth  at  reaching  this 
spot  may  be  imagined,  though  not  easily  described.  No 
one  seemed  to  exult  more  than  their  guide,  who  turned, 
with  Mohegan  still  lashed  to  his  back,  and  laughing  in  his 
own  manner,  said,  — 

"  I  knowed  'twas  the  Frenchman's  powder,  gal ;  it  weiu 
so  all  together ;  your  coarse  grain  will  squib  for  a  minute. 
The  Iroquois  had  none  of  the  best  powder  when  I  went 
agin  the  Canada  tribes,  under  Sir  William.  Did  I  ever 
tell  you  the  story,  lad,  consarning  the  scrimmage  with  "  — 

"  For  God's  sake,  tell  me  nothing  now,  Natty,  until  we 
are  entirely  safe.  Where  shall  we  go  next  ? " 

"  Why,  on  the  platform  of  rock  over  the  cave,  to  be  sure ; 
you  will  be  safe  enough  there,  or  we'll  go  into  it,  if  you  be 
BO  minded." 

The  young  man  started,  and  appeared  agitated ;  but  look 
ing  around  him  with  an  anxious  eye,  said  quickly, — 

"  Shall  we  be  safe  on  the  rock  ?  cannot  the  fire  reach  *us 
there,  too  ?  " 

"  Can't  the  boy  see  ?  "  said  Natty,  with  the  coolness  of 
one  accustomed  to  the  kind  of  clanger  he  had  just  encoun 
tered.  "  Had  ye  stayed  in  the  place  above  ten  minutes 
longer,  you  would  both  have  been  in  ashes,  but  here  you 
may  stay  forever,  and  no  fire  can  touch  you,  until  they  burn 
the  rocks  as  well  as  the  woods." 

With  this  assurance,  which  was  obviously  true,  they  pro- 
seeded  to  the  spot,  and  Natty  deposited  his  load,  placing 
the  Indian  on  the  ground  with  his  back  against  a  fragment 
of  the  rocks.  Elizabeth  sank  on  the  ground,  and  burie<* 


436  THE   ITONEERS. 

her  face  in  her  hands,  while  her  heart  was  swelling  with  t 
variety  of  conflicting  emotions. 

"  Let  me  urge  you  to  take  a  restorative,  Miss  Temple," 
said  Edwards  respectfully  ;  "  your  frame  will  sink  else." 

"  Leave  me,  leave  me,"  she  said,  raising  her  beaming  eyes 
for  a  moment  to  Ids  ;  "I  feel  too  much  for  words  !  I  am 
grateful,  Oliver,  for  this  miraculous  escape  ;  and  next  to 
my  God  to  you." 

Edwards  withdrew  to  the  edge  of  the  rock,  and  shouted 
*  Benjamin  !  where  are  you,  Benjamin  ?  " 

A  hoarse  voice  replied,  as  if  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth 
"  Here-away,  master ;  stowed  in  this  here  bit  of  a  hole, 
which  is  all  the  same  as  hot  as  the  cook's  coppers.  I'm  tired 
of  my  berth,  d'ye  see,  and  if-so-be  that  Leather-Stocking 
has  got  much  over-hauling  to  do  before  he  sails  after  them 
said  beaver,  I'll  go  into  dock  again,  and  ride  out  my  quaran 
tine  till  I  can  get  prottick  from  the  law,  and  so  hold  on 
upon  the  rest  of  my  'Spaniolas." 

"  Bring  up  a  glass  of  water  from  the  spring,"  continued 
Edwards,  "  and  throw  a  little  wine  in  it ;  hasten,  I  entieat 
you  ! " 

"  I  knows  but  little  of  your  small  drink,  Master  Oliver," 
returned  the  steward,  his  voice  issuing  out  of  the  cave  into 
the  open  air,  "  and  the  Jamaiky  held  out  no  longer  than  to 
take  a  parting  kiss  with  Billy  Kirby,  when  he  anchored  me 
alongside  the  highway  last  night,  where  you  run  me  down 
in  the  chase.  But  here's  sum'mat  of  a  red  color  that  may 
suit  a  weak  stomach,  mayhap.  That  Master  Kirby  is  no 
first-rate  in  a  boat ;  but  he'll  tack  a  cart  among  the  stumps, 
all  the  same  as  a  Lon'on  pilot  will  back  and  fill  through  the 
colliers  in  the  Pool." 

As  the  steward  ascended  while  talking,  by  the  time  he  had 
ended  his  speech,  he  appeared  on  the  rock  with  the  desired 
restoratives,  exhibiting  the  worn-out  and  bloated  features  of 
a  man  who  had  run  deep  in  a  debauch,  and  that  lately. 

Elizabeth  took  from  the  hands  of  Edwards  the  liquor 
which  he  offered,  and  then  motioned  to  be  left  again  to  her  • 
self. 

The  youth  turned   at  her  bidding,  and  observed  Nattj 


THE  PIONEERS.  437 

kindly  assiduous  around  the  person  of  Mohegan.  When 
their  eyes  met,  the  hunter  said  sorrowfully,  — 

"  His  time  has  come,  lad ;  I  see  it  in  his  eyes  ;  w  hen  an 
Indian  fixes  his  eye,  he  means  to  go  but  to  one-  place  ;  and 
what  the  willful  creature  put  their  minds  on,  they're  sure 
to  do." 

A  quick  tread  prevented  the  reply,  and  in  a  few  moments, 
to  the  amazement  of  the  whole  party,  Mr.  Grant  was  seen 
clinging  to  the  side  of  the  mountain,  and  striving  to  reach 
the  place  where  they  stood.  Oliver  sprang  to  his  assistance, 
and  by  their  united  efforts  the  worthy  divine  was  soon 
placed  safely  among  them. 

"  How  came  you  added  to  our  number  ? "  cried  Edwards. 
"  Is  the  hill  alive  with  people  at  a  time  like  this  ?  " 

The  hasty  but  pious  thanksgivings  of  the  clergyman  were 
soon  ejaculated ;  and  when  he  succeeded  in  collecting  hia 
bewildered  senses,  he  replied,  — 

"  I  heard  that  my  child  was  seen  coming  to  the  mountain ; 
and  when  the  fire  broke  over  its  summit,  my  uneasiness 
drew  me  up  the  road,  where  I  found  Louisa,  in  terror  for 
Miss  Temple.  It  was  to  seek  her  that  I  came  into  this 
dangerous  place ;  and  I  think,  but  for  God's  mercy,  through 
the  dogs  of  Natty,  I  should  have  perished  in  the  flames 
myself." 

"  Aye !  follow  the  hounds,  and  if  there's  an  opening  they'll 
Bcent  it  out,"  said  Natty ;  "  their  noses  be  given  them  the 
same  as  man's  reason." 

"  I  did  so,  and  they  led  me  to  this  place ;  but,  praise  be 
to  God,  that  I  see  you  all  safe  and  well." 

"  No,  no,"  returned  the  hunter ;  "  safe  we  be,  but  as  foi 
well,  John  can't  be  called  in  a  good  way,  unless  you'll  say 
that  for' a  man  that's  taking  his  last  look  at  'arth." 

"  He  speaks  the  truth ! "  said  the  divine,  with  the  holj 
awe  with  which  he  ever  approached  the  dying ;  "  I  have 
been  by  too  many  death-beds,  not  to  see  that  the  hand  of 
the  tyrant  is  laid  on  this  old  warrior.  0  !  how  consoling 
it  is  to  know  that  he  lias  not  rejected  the  offered  mercy  in 
the  hour  of  his  strength  and  of  worldly  temptations  !  Tha 
offspring  of  a  race  of  heathens,  he  has  in  truth  been  '  as  a 
brand  plucked  from  the  burning.'  " 


438  THE   PIONEERS. 

"  No,  no,"  returned  Natty,  who  alone  stood  with  him  bj 
the  side  of  the  dying  warrior,  "  it's  no  burning  that  ails  him, 
though  his  Indian  feelings  made  him  scorn  to  move.,  unless 
it  be  the  burning  of  man's  wicked  thoughts  for  near  four 
score  years  ;  but  it's  natur'  giving  out  in  a  chase  that's  run 
too  bng.  Down  with  ye,  Hector!  down,  I  say!  Flesh 
isn't  iron,  that  a  man  can  live  forever,  and  see  his  kith  and 
kin  driven  to  a  far  country,  and  he  le.f*.  to  mourn,  with  none 
to  keep  him  company." 

"  John,"  said  the  divine,  tenderly,  "  do  you  hear  me  ?  do 
you  wish  the  prayers  appointed  by  the  Church,  at  this  trying 
moment  ?  " 

The  Indian  turned  his  ghastly  face  towards  the  speaker, 
and  fastened  his  dark  eyes  on  him,  steadily,  but  vacantly. 
No  sign  of  recognition  was  made  ;  and  in  a  moment  he 
moved  his  head  again  slowly  towards  the  vale,  and  began  to 
King,  using  his  own  language,  in  those  low,  guttural  tones, 
that  have  been  so  often  mentioned,  his  notes  rising  with  his 
theme,  till  they  swelled  so  loud  as  to  be  distinct. 

"  I  will  come  !  I  will  come  !  to  the  land  of  the  just  I  will 
come  !  The  Maquas  I  have  slain !  I  have  slain  the 
Maquas !  and  the  Great  Spirit  calls  to  his  son.  I  will  come  ! 
I  will  come !  to  the  land  of  the  just  I  will  come  !  " 

"  What  says  he,  Leather-Stocking  ?  "  inquired  the  priest, 
with  tender  interest ;  "  sings  he  the  Redeemer's  praise  ?  " 

"  No,  no  ;  'tis  his  own  praise  that  he  speaks  now,"  said 
Natty,  turning  in  a  melancholy  manner  from  the  sight  of  his 
dying  friend  ;  "  and  a  good  right  he  has  to  say  it  all,  for  I 
know  every  word  to  be  true." 

"May  Heaven  avert  such  self-righteousness  from  liis 
heart !  Humility  and  penitence  are  the  seals  of  Christianity  ; 
and  without  feeling  them  deeply  seated  in  the  soul,  all  hope 
:.s  delusive,  and  leads  to  vain  expectations.  Praise  himself! 
when  his  whole  soul  and  body  should  unite  to  praise  his 
Maker  !  John !  you.  have  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  a  gospel 
ministry,  and  have  been  called  from  out  a  multitude  of  sin 
ners  and  pagans,  and  I  trust,  for  a  wise  and  gracious  pur 
pose.  Do  you  now  feel  what  it  is  to  be  justified  by  our 
Saviour's  death,  and  reject  all  weak  and  idle  dependence  ou 
good  works,  that  spring  from  man's  pride  and  vain-glory  ? " 


THE  PIONEERS.  489 

The  Indian  did  not  regard  his  interrogator,  but  he  raised 
his  head  again,  and  said  in  a  low,  distinct  voice,  — 

"  Who  can  say  that  the  Maquas  know  the  back  of  Mo- 
began  ?  What  enemy  that  trusted  in  him  did  not  see  the 
morning?  What  Mingo  that  he  chased  ever  sang  the  song 
of  triumph?  Did  Mohegan  ever  lie  ?  No  ;  the  truth  lived 
in  him,  and  none  else  could  come  out  of  him.  In  his  youth 
he  was  a  warrior,  and  his  moccasins  left  the  stain  of  blood. 
In  his  age,  he  was  wise  ;  his  words  at  the  council  fire  did 
not  blow  away  with  the  winds." 

"  Ah  !  he  has  abandoned  that  vain  relic  of  paganism,  his 
songs,"  cried  the  divine ;  "  what  says  he  now  ?  is  he  sensible 
of  his  lost  state  ?  " 

"  Lord !  man,"  said  Natty,  "  he  knows  his  end  is  at  hand 
a»  well  as  you  or  I ;  but,  so  far  from  thinking  it  a  loss,  he 
believes  it  to  be  a  great  gain.  He  is  old  and  stiff,  and  you 
have  made  the  game  so  scarce  and  shy,  that  better  shots 
than  him  find  it  hard  to  get  a  livelihood.  Now  he  thinks 
he  shall  travel  where  it  will  always  be  good  hunting  ;  where 
no  wicked  or  unjust  Indians  can  go  ;  and  where  he  shall 
meet  all  his  tribe  together  ag'in.  There's  not  much  loss  in 
that,  to  a  man  whose  hands  are  hardly  fit  for  basket-making. 
Loss !  if  there  be  any  loss,  'twill  be  to  me.  I'm  sure,  after 
he's  gone,  there  will  be  but  little  left  for  me  but  to  follow." 

"  His  example  arid  end,  which,  I  humbly  trust,  shall  yet 
be  made  glorious,"  returned  Mr.  Grant,  "  should  lead  your 
mind  to  dwell  on  the  things  of  another  life.  But  I  feel  it 
to  be  my  duty  to  smooth  the  way  for  the  parting  spirit. 
This  is  the  moment,  John,  when  the  reflection  that  yon  did 
not  reject  the  mediation  of  the  Redeemer,  will  bring  balm 
to  your  soul.  Trust  not  to  any  act  of  former  days,  but  lay 
the  burden  of  your  sins  at  his  feet,  arid  you  have  his  own 
blessed  assurance  that  he  will  not  desert  you." 

"  Though  all  you  say  be  true,  and  you  have  Scriptur 
gospels  for  it,  too,"  said  Natty,  "  you  will  make  nothing  of 
the  Indian.  He  hasn't  seen  a  Moravian  priest  sin'  the  war ; 
and  it's  hard  to  keep  them  from  going  back  to  their  native 
ways.  I  should  think  'twould  be  as  well  to  let  the  old  ma* 
in  peace.  He's  happy  now ;  I  know  it  by  his  eye 


440  THE  PIONEIJRS. 

and  that's  more  than  I  would  say  for  the  chief,  sin*  the  tim« 
the  Delawares  broke  up  from  the  head-waters  of  their  nver, 
and  went  west.  Ah's  me  !  'tis  a  grievous  long  time  that, 
and  many  dark  days  have  we  seen  together  sin'  it." 

"  Hawkeye  ! "  said  Mohegan,  rousing  with  the  last  glim 
mering  of  life.  "  Hawkeye !  listen  to  the  words  of  your 
brother." 

"  Yes,  John,"  said  the  hunter,  in  English,  strongly  affected 
by  the  appeal,  and  drawing  to  his  side ;  "  we  have  been 
brothers  ;  and  more  so  than  it  means  in  the  Indian  tongue. 
What  would  ye  have  with  me,  Chingachgook  ?  " 

"  Hawkeye !  my  fathers  call  me  to  the  happy  hunting- 
grounds.  The  path  is  clear,  and  the  eyes  of  Mohegan  grow 
young.  I  look,  but  I  see  no  white  skins ;  there  are  none 
to  be  seen  but  just  and  brave  Indians.  Farewell,  Hawkeye ! 
you  shall  go  with  the  Fire-eater  and  the  Young  Eagle; 
to  the  white  man's  heaven  ;  but  I  go  after  my  fathers.  Let 
the  bow,  and  tomahawk,  and  pipe,  and  the  wampum  of  Mo 
hegan  be  laid  in  his  grave ;  for  when  he  starts  'twill  be  in 
the  night,  like  a  warrior  on  a  war-party,  and  he  caunot  stop 
to  seek  them." 

"  What  says  he,  Nathaniel  ?  "  cried  Mr.  Grant,  earnestly, 
and  with  obvious  anxiety  ;  "  does  he  recall  the  promises  of 
the  mediation  ?  and  trust  his  salvation  to  the  Rock  of 
Ages  ?  " 

Although  the  faith  of  the  hunter  was  by  no  means  clear, 
yet  the  fruits  of  early  instruction  had  not  entirely  fallen  in 
the  wilderness.  He  believed  in  one  God,  and  one  heaven 
and  whan  the  strong  feeling  excited  by  the  leave-taking  of 
his  old  companion,  which  was  exhibited  by  the  powerful 
working  of  every  muscle  in  his  weather-beaten  face,  suffered 
him  to  speak,  he  replied,  — 

"  No  —  no ;  he  trusts  only  to  the  Great  Spirit  of  the 
savages,  and  to  his  own  good  deeds.  He  thinks,  like  all 
his  people,  that  lie  is  to  be  young  ag'in,  and  to  hunt,  and  be 
happy  to  the  end  of  etarnUy.  It's  pretty  much  the  same 
with  all  colors,  parson.  1  could  never  bring  myself  to 
think,  that  I  shall  meet  with  these  hounds,  or  my  piece,  in 
another  world ;  though  the  thoughts  of  leaving  them  for 


THE  PIONEERS,  441 

ever  sometimes  brings  hard  feelings  over  me,  and  makes 
me  cling  to  life  with  a  greater  cra"ing  than  beseems  three- 
score-and-ten." 

"  The  Lord  in  his  mercy  avert  such  a  death  from  one 
whc  has  been  sealed  with  the  sign  of  the  cross ! "  cried  the 
minister,  in  holy  fervor.  "  John  "  — 

lie  paused  for  the  elements.  During  the  period  occupied 
by  the  events  which  we  have  related,  the  dark  clouds  in  the 
horizon  had  continued  to  increase  in  numbers  and  magni 
tude  ;  and  the  awful  stillness  that  now  pervaded  the  air, 
announced  a  crisis  in  the  state  of  the  atmosphere.  The 
flames,  which  yet  continued  to  rage  along  the  sides  of  the 
mountain,  no  longer  whirled  in  uncertain  currents  of  their 
awn  eddies,  but  blazed  high  and  steadily  towards  the 
heavens.  There  was  even  a  quietude  in  the  ravages  of  the 
destructive  element,  as  if  it  foresaw  that  a  hand,  greater 
than  even  its  own  desolating  power,  was  about  to  stay  its 
progress.  The  piles  of  smoke  which  lay  above  the  valley 
began  to  rise,  and  were  dispelling  rapidly  ;  and  streaks  of 
vivid  lightning  were  dancing  through  the  masses  of  clouds 
that  impended  over  the  western  hills.  While  Mr.  Grant 
was  speaking,  a  flash,  which  sent  its  quivering  light  through 
the  gloom,  laying  bare  the  whole  opposite  horizon,  was 
followed  by  a  loud  crash  of  thunder,  that  rolled  away  among 
the  hills,  seeming  to  shake  the  foundations  of  the  earth  to 
their  centre.  Mohegan  raised  himself,  as  if  in  obedience 
to  a  signal  for  his  departure,  and  stretched  his  wasted 
arm  towards  the  west.  His  dark  face  lighted  with  a  look 
of  joy  ;  which,  with  all  other  expression,  gradually  dis 
appeared  ;  the  muscles  stiffening  as  they  retreated  to  a 
Btate  of  rest ;  a  slight  convulsion  played,  for  a  single  instant, 
about  his  lips ;  and  his  arm  slo^wly  dropped  by  his  side ; 
leaving  the  frame  of  the  dead  warrior  reposing  against  the 
rock,  with  its  glassy  eyes  open,  and  fixed  on  the  distant 
hills,  as  if  the  deserted  shell  were  tracing  the  flight  of  the 
spirit  to  its  new  abode. 

All  this  Mr.  Grant  witnessed  in  silent  awe  ;  but  when 
the  last  echoes  of  the  thunder  died  away,  he  clasped  hit 
hands  together,  with  pious  energy,  and  repeated,  ill  the  full 
rich  tones  of  assured  faith. — 


442  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  *  O  Lord !  how  unsearchable  are  thy  judgments  :  and 
thy  ways  past  finding  out!'  'I  know  that  my  Redeemei 
liveth,  and  that  He  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the 
earth :  and  though  after  my  skin,  worms  destroy  this  body, 
yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God :  whom  I  shall  see  for  my 
self,  and  mine  eyes  shall  behold,  and  not  another.' " 

As  the  divine  closed  this  burst  of  devotion,  he  bowed 
his  head  meekly  to  his  bosom,  and  looked  all  the  lepeml- 
ence  and  humility  that  the  inspired  language  expressed. 

When  Mr.  Grant  retired  from  the  body,  the  hunter  aj>- 
proached,  and  taking  the  rigid  hand  of  his  friend,  looked 
him  wistfully  in  the  face  for  some  time  without  speaking, 
when  he  gave  vent  to  his  feeling  by  saying,  in  the  mournful 
voice  of  one  who  felt  deeply,  — 

"  Red  skin  or  white,  it's  all  over  now  !  He's  to  be 
judged  by  a  righteous  Judge,  and  by  no  laws  that's  made 
to  suit  times,  and  new  ways.  Well,  there's  only  one  more 
death,  and  the  world  will  be  left  to  me  and  the  hounds 
All's  me  !  a  man  must  wait  the  time  of  God's  pleasure,  but 
I  begin  to  weary  of  life.  There  is  scarcely  a  tree  standing 
that  I  know,  and  it's  hard  to  find  a  place  that  I  was 
acquainted  with  in  my  younger  days." 

Large  drops  of  rain  began  now  to  fall,  and  diffuse  them 
selves  over  the  dry  rock,  while  the  approach  of  the  thunder- 
shower  was  rapid  and  certain.  The  body  of  the  Indian 
was  hastily  removed  into  the  cave  beneath,  followed  by  the 
whining  hounds,  who  missed  and  moaned  for  the  look  of 
intelligence  that  had  always  met  their  salutations  to  tte 
ihief. 

Edwards  made  some  hasty  and  confused  excuse  for  nc 
taking  Elizabeth  into  the  same  place,  which  was  now  com 
pletely  closed  in  front  witty  logs  and  bark,  saying  something 
that  she  hardly  understood  about  its  darkness,  and  the  un 
pleasantness  of  being  with  the  dead  body.  IMiss  Temple, 
however,  found  a  sufficient  shelter  against  the  torrent  of 
rain  that  fell,  under  the  projection  of  a  rock  which  over 
hung  them.  But  long  before  the  shower  was  over,  the 
sounds  of  voices  were  heard  below  them  crying  aloud  foi 
Elizabeth,  and  men  soon  appeared,  beating  the  dying  emberi 


THE  PIONEERS.  443 

of  tho  bushes,  as  they  worked  their  way  cautiously  among 
the  unextinguished  brands. 

At  the  first  short  cessation  in  the  rain,  Oliver  conducted 
Elizabeth  to  the  road,  where  he  left  her.  Before  parting, 
however,  he  found  time  to  say,  in  a  fervent  manner,  that 
his  companion  was  now  at  no  loss  to  interpret :  — 

"  The  moment  of  concealment  is  over,  Miss  Temple.  By 
this  time  to-morrow,  I  shall  remove  a  veil  that  perhaps  it 
has  been  weakness  to  keep  around  me  and  my  affairs  so 
long.  But  I  have  had  romantic  and  foolish  wishes  and 
weaknesses  :  and  who  has  not,  that  is  young  and  torn  by 
conflicting  passions  !  God  bless  you !  I  hear  your  father'* 
voice ;  he  is  coming  up  the  road,  and  I  would  not,  just  now, 
subject  myself  tc  detention.  Thank  Heaven,  you  are  safo 
again ;  that  alone  removes  the  weight  of  a  world  from  mji 
spirit ! " 

He  waited  for  no  answer,  but  sprang  into  the  woods. 
Elizabeth,  notwithstanding  she  heard  the  cries  of  her  father 
as  he  called  upon  her  name,  paused  until  he  was  concealed 
among  the  smoking  trees,  when  she  turned,  and  in  a  mtment 
rushed  into  the  arms  of  her  half-distracted  parent. 

A  carriage  had  been  provided,  into  which  Miss  Temple 
hastily  entered ;  when  the  cry  was  passed  along  the  hill, 
that  the  lost  one  was  found,  and  the  people  returned  to  the 
village,  wet  and  dirty,  but  elated  with  the  thought  that  the 
laughter  of  their  landlord  had  escaped  from  so  horrid  and 
untimely  an  end.1 

i  The  probability  of  a  fire  in  the  woods,  similar  to  that  here  described,  has 
been  questioned.  The  writer  can  only  say  that  he  once  witnessed  *  fire  in 
another  part  of  Xew  York  that  compelled  a  man  to  desert  his  wagon  and 
horses  in  the  highway,  and  in  which  the  latter  were  destroyed.  In  order  te 
estimate  the  probability  of  such  an  event,  it  is  necessary  to  remember  th« 
effects  of  a  long  drought  in  that  climate,  and  the  abundance  of  dead  vood  which 
U  found  in  a  forest  like  that  described.  The  fires  in  the  American  forests 
frequently  rage  to  such  an  extent  as  to  produce  &  sensible  effect  on  the  atmos 
phere  at  the  distance  of  fifty  miles.  Houses  barns,  and  fences  arc  quite  90S} 
wwnly  swept  away  in  their  course. 


444  THE  PIONEERS. 


CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

Selictar!  unsheathe  then  our  chiefs  scimitar; 
Tambourgi!  thy  'larum  gives  promise  of  war; 
Ye  mountains !  that  see  us  descend  to  the  shore, 
Shall  view  us  as  victors,  or  view  us  no  more. 

BTROK. 

THL  heavy  showers  that  prevailed  during  the  remainder 
of  the  day  completely  stopped  the  progress  of  the  flames 
though  glimmering  fires  were  observed  during  the  night,  on 
different  parts  of  the  hill,  wherever  there  was  a  collection 
of  fuel  to  feed  the  element.  The  next  day  the  woods,  for 
many  miles,  were  black  and  smoking,  and  were  stripped  of 
every  vestige  of  brush  and  dead  wood ;  but  the  pines  and 
hemlocks  still  reared  their  heads  proudly  among  the  hills, 
and  even  the  smaller  trees  of  the  forest  retained  a  feeble 
appearance  of  life  and  vegetation. 

The  many  tongues  of  rumor  were  busy  in  exaggerating 
the  miraculous  escape  of  Klizabeth  ;  and  a  report  was 
generally  credited,  that  Mohegan  had  actuahj  perished  in 
the  flames.  This  belief  became  confirmed,  and  was  indeed 
rendered  probable,  when  the  direful  intelligence  reached 
the  village,  that  Jotham  lliddel,  the  miner,  was  found  in 
his  hole,  nearly  dead  with  suffocation,  and  burnt  to  such  a  * 
degree  that  no  hopes  were  entertained  of  his  life. 

The  public  attention  became  much  alive  to  the  events  of 
the  last  few  days;  and  just  at  this  crisis,  the  convicted 
counterfeiters  took  the  hint  from  Natty,  and,  oh  the  night 
succeeding  the  fire,  found  means  to  cut  through  their  log 
prison  also,  and  to  escape  unpunished.  When  this  newt 
began  to  circulate  through  the  village,  blended  with  the 
fate  of  Jotham,  and  the  exaggerated  and  tortured  reports  of 
the  events  on  the  hill,  the  popular  opinion  was  freely  ex- 
pre*8orl,  as  to  the  propriety  of  seizing  such  of  the  fugitive! 


THE   PIONEERS.  446 

u  remained  within  reach.  Men  talked  of  the  cave,  aa  a 
secret  receptacle  of  guilt ;  and  as  the  rumor  of  ores  and 
metals  found  its  way  into  the  confused  medley  of  conjectures, 
counterfeiting,  and  everything  else  that  was  wicked  and 
dangerous  to  the  peace  of  society,  suggested  themselves  to 
the  busy  fancies  of  the  populace. 

While  tho  public  mind  was  in  this  feverish  state,v  it  was 
hinted  that  the  wood  had  been  set  on  fire  by  Edwards  and 
',he  Leather-Stocking,  and  that,  consequently,  they  alone 
were  responsible  for  the  damages.  This  opinion  sootf 
gained  ground,  being  most  circulated  by  those  who,  by  their 
own  heedlessness,  had  caused  the  evil ;  and  there  was  ont 
^resistible  burst  of  the  common  sentiment,  that  an  attempt 
jhould  be  made  to  punish  the  offenders.  Richard  was  by 
no  means  deaf  to  this  appeal,  and  by  noon  he  set  about  in 
earnest,  to  see  the  laws  executed. 

Several  stout  young  men  were  selected,  and  taken  apart 
with  an  appearance  of  secrecy,  where  they  received  some 
important  charge  from  the  Sheriff,  immediately  under  the 
eyes,  but  far  removed  from  the  ears,  of  all  in  the  village. 
Possessed  of  a  knowledge  of  their  duty,  these  youths  hurried 
into  the  hills,  with  a  bustling  manner,  as  if  the  fate  of  the 
world  depended  on  their  diligence,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
with  an  air  of  mystery,  as  great  as  if  they  were  engaged  on 
secret  matters  of  the  State. 

At  twelve  precisely,  a  drum  beat  the  "  long  roll "  before 
the  "  Bold  Dragoon,"  and  Richard  appeared,  accompanied 
by  Captain  Hollister,  who  was  clad  in  his  vestments  as  com 
mander  of  the  "Temple ton  Light  Infantry,"  when  the 
former  demanded  of  the  latter  the  aid  of  the  posse  comitatus, 
in  enforcing  the  laws  of  the  country.  We  have  not  room 
to  record  the  speeches  of  the  two  gentlemen  on  this  occasion, 
but  they  are  preserved  in  the  columns  of  the  little  blue 
newspaper,  which  is  yet  to  be  found  on  file,  and .  are  oaid 
to  be  highly  creditable  to  the  legal  formula  of  one  of  the 
parties,  and  to  the  military  precision  of  the  t>ther.  Every 
thing  had  been  previously  arranged,  and  as  the  red-coated 
drummer  continued  to  roll  out  hia  clattering  notes,  some 
fiye-and-twenty  privates  appeared  in  the  ranks,  and  arranged 
themselves  in  order  of  b&ttie. 


448  THP   PTOHEERS. 


As  this  corps  was  composed  of  volunteers,  and  was  com 
rnanded  by  a  man  who  had  passed  the  first  five-and-  thirty 
pears  of  his  life  in  camps  and  garrisons,  it  was  the  nonpareil 
of  military  science  in  that  country,  and  was  coniidently 
pronounced  by  the  judicious  part  of  the  Templeton  com 
munity,  to  be  equal  in  skill  and  appearance  to  any  troops 
in  the  known  world  ;  in  physical  endowments  they  were, 
certainly,  much  superior  !  To  this  assertion  there  were  but 
tjiree  dissenting  voices,  and  one  dissenting  opinion.  The 
opinion  belonged  to  Marraaduke,  who,  however,  saw  no 
necessity  for  its  promulgation.  Of  the  voices,  one,  and  that 
a  pretty  loud  one,  came  from  the  spouse  of  the  commander 
himself,  who  frequently  reproached  her  husband  for  con 
descending  to  lead  such  an  irregular  band  of  warriors,  after 
he  had  filled  the  honorable  station  of  sergeant-major  to  a 
dashing  corps  of  Virginian  cavalry  through  much  of  the 
recent  war. 

Another  of  these  skeptical  sentiments  was  invariably 
expressed  by  Mr.  Pump,  whenever  the  company  paraded, 
generally  in  some  such  terms  as  these,  which  were  uttered 
with  that  sort  of  meekness  that  a  native  of  the  island  of  our 
forefathers  is  apt  to  assume,  when  he  condescends  to  praise 
the  customs  or  character  of  her  truant  progeny  :  — 

"It's  mayhap  that  they  knows  sum'mat  about  loading  and 
firing,  d'ye  see  ;  but  as  for  working  ship  !  why  a  corporal's 
guard  of  the  Boadishey's  marines  would  back  and  iill  on 
their  quarters  in  such  a  manner  as  to  surround  and  cap- 
tJvate  them  all  in  half  a  glass."  As  there  was  no  one  to 
deny  this  assertion  the  marines  of  the  Boadicea  were  held* 
in  a  corresponding  degree  of  estimation. 

The  third  unbeliever  was  Monsieur  Lc  Quoi,  who  merely 
whispered  to  the  Sheriff,  that  the  corps  was  one  of  tho 
finest  he  had  ever  seen,  second  only  to  the  Mousquetaires 
of  I  e  Bon  Louis  !  However,  as  Mrs.  Ilollister  thought 
there  was  something  like  actual  service  in  the  present  ap 
pearances,  and  was,  in  consequence,  too  busily  engaged  with 
certain  preparations  of  her  own,  to  make  her  comments  ;  as 
Benjamin  was  absent,  and  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  too  happy  to 
find  fault  with  anything,  the  corps  escaped  criticism  and 


THK   PIONEERS.  447 


comparison  altogether  on  this  momentous  day>  nheii 
certainly  had  greater  need  of  self-confidence  than  on  any 
other  previous  occasion.     Marmaduke  was  said  to  be  again 
closeted  with  Mr.  Van  der'  School,  and  no  interruption  was 
offered  to  the   movements  of  the  troops.     At  two  o'clock 
precisely  the  corps  shouldered  arms,  beginning  on  the  right 
wing,  next  to  the  veteran,  and  carrying  the  motion  through 
to  the  left  with  great  regularity.     When  each  musket  was 
quietly  fixed  in  its  proper  situation,  the  order  was  given  to 
wheel  to   the  left,  and    march.     As  this  was  bringing   raw 
troops,  at  once,  to  face  their  enemy,  it  is  not  to  be  supposed 
that  the  manoeuvre  was  executed  with  their  usual  accuracy  ; 
but  as   the  music   struck  up   the  inspiring  air   of  Yankee 
Doodle,  and   Richard,   accompanied  by  Mr.   Doolittle,  prt*- 
ceded  the  troops  boldly  down   the  street,  Captain  ITollister 
led  on,  with  his  head  elevated  to  forty-five  degrees,  with  a 
little,  low,  cocked  hat    perched    on    his    crown,  carrying  a 
tremendous   dragoon   sabre   at   a   poise,  and  trailing   at  his 
heels  a  huge  steel  scabbard,  that  had  war  in  its  very  clatter 
ing.     There  was  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  in  getting  all  the 
platoons    (there  were   six)  to  look   the  same  way  ;  but,  by 
the  time  they  reached  the  defile  of  the   bridge,  the   troops 
were  in  swTiciently  compact  order.     In  this   manner  they 
marched  up  the  hill  to  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  no  other 
alteration    taking    place    in    the    disposition    of   the  forces 
excepting  that  a  mutual  complaint  was  made  by  the  Sheriff 
and  the    magistrate,  of   a  failure  in  wind,  which  gradually 
brought  these  gentlemen  to  the  rear.     It  will  be  unneces- 
eary  to  detail  the  minute  movements  that  succeeded.     We 
shall  briefly  say,  that  the  scouts  came  in  and  reported,  that, 
go  iar  from  retreating,  as  had  been  anticipated,  the  fugitives 
had  evidently  gained  a  knowledge  of  the  attack,  and  were 
fortifying  for  a  desperate  resistance.     This  intelligence  cor- 
tairily  made  a  material  change,  not  only  in  the  plans  of  the 
leaders,  but  in  the  countenances  of  the   soldiery  also.     The 
men  looked  at  one  another  with  serious  faces,  and  Hiram 
mid  Richard  began  to  consult  together,  apart. 

At  tins  conjuncture,  they  were  joined  by  Billy   Kirby, 
who  ranie  along  tbe  highway,  with  his  axe  under  his  arm, 


(48  THE  PIONEERS. 

us  much  in  advance  of  his  team  as  Captain  Hollister  had 
oeen  of  his  troops  in  the  ascent.  The  wood-chopper  was 
imazed  at  the  military  array,  but  the  Sheriff  eagerly  availed 
limself  of  this  powerful  reinforcement,  and  commanded  his 
issistancc  in  putting  the  laws  in  force.  Billy  held  Mr 
/ones  in  too  much  deference  to  object ;  and  it  was  finally 
irranged  that  he  should  be  the  bearer  of  a  summons  to  the 
garrison  to  surrender,  before  they  proceeded  to  extremities. 
The  troops  now  divided,  one  party  being  led  by  the  Captain, 
vver  the  Vision,  and  were  brought  in  on  the  left  of  the  cave, 
jdiile  the  remainder  advanced  upon  its  right,  under  the 
orders  of  the  lieutenant.  Mr.  Jones  and  Dr.  Todd — for 
the  surgeon  was  in  attendance  also  —  appeared  on  the  plat 
form  of  rock,  immediately  over  the  heads  of  the  garrison, 
though  out  of  their  sight.  Hiram  thought  this  approaching' 
too  near,  and  he  therefore  accompanied  Kirby  along  the 
side  of  the  hill,  to  within  a  safe  distance  of  the  fortifications, 
where  he  took  shelter  behind  a  tree.  Most  of  the  men  dis 
covered  great  accuracy  of  eye  in  bringing  some  object  in  range 
between  them  and  their  enemy,  and  the  only  two  of  the  be 
siegers,  who  were  left  in  plain  sight  of  the  besieged,  were 
Captain  Hollister  on  one  side,  and  the  wood-chopper  on  the 
other.  The  veteran  stood  up  boldly  to  the  front,  supporting 
his  heavy  sword,  in  one  undeviating  position,  with  his  eye 
fixed  firmly  on  his  enemy,  while  the  huge  form  of  Billy  was 
placed  in  that  kind  of  quiet  repose,  with  either  hand  thrust 
into  his  bosom,  bearing  his  axe  under  his  right  wm,  which 
permitted  him,  like  his  own  oxen,  to  rest  standing.  So  far, 
not  a  word  had  been  exchanged  between  the  belligerents. 
The  besieged  had  drawn  together  a  pile  of  black  logs  and 
branches  of  trees,  which  they  had  formed  into  a  chevaux- 
de-frise,  making  a  little  circular  abbatis  in  front  of  the  en 
trance  to  the  cave.  As  the  ground  was  steep  and  slippery 
in  every  direction  around  the  place,  and  Benjamin  appeared 
behind  the  works  on  one  side,  and  Natty  on  the  other,  the 
arrangement  was  by  no  means  contemptible,  especially  as 
the  frort  was  sufficiently  guarded  by  the  difficulty  of  the  ap 
proach.  By  this  time,  Kirby  had  received  his  orders,  and 
tie  advanced  coolly  along  the  mountain,  picking  his  way 


THE  PIONEERS. 

with  the  same  indifference  as  if  he  were  pursuing  his  ordi 
nary  business.  When  he  was  within  a  hundred  feet  of  the 
works,  the  long  and  much  dreaded  rifle  of  the  .Leather- 
Stocking  was  seen  issuing  from  the  parapet,  and  his  voice 
cried  aloud,  — 

"  Keep  off!  Billy  Kirby,  keep  off!  I  wish  ye  no  harm 
but  if  a  man  of  ye  all  comes  a  step  nigher,  there'll  be  blood 
spilt  atwixt  us.      God  forgive  the  one  that  draws  it  first, 
but  so  it  must  be." 

"  Come,  old  chap,"  said  Billy,  good-naturedly,  "  don't  be 
crabbed,  but  hear  what  a  man  has  got  to  say.  I've  no  con- 
earn  in  the  business,  only  to  see  right  'twixt  man  and  man  ; 
and  I  don't  kear  the  valie  of  a  beetle-ring  which  gets  the 
better ;  but  there's  Squire  Doolittle,  yonder  behind  the 
beech  sapling,  he  has  invited  me  to  come  in  and  ask  you  to 
give  up  to  the  law  —  that's  all." 

"  I  see  the  varmint !  I  see  his  clothes  !  "  cried  the  indig 
nant  Natty  ;  "  and  if  he'll  only  show  so  much  flesh  as  will 
bury  a  rifle  bullet,  thirty  to  the  pound,  I'll  make  him  feel 
me.  Go  away,  Billy,  I  bid  ye  ;  you  know  my  aim,  and  I 
bear  you  no  malice." 

"  You  over-calculate  your  aim,  Natty,"  said  the  other,  as 
he  stepped  behind  a  pine  that  stood  near  him ;  "  if  you 
think  to  shoot  a  man  through  a  tree  with  a  three  foot  butt 
I  can  lay  this  tree  right  across  you  in  ten  minutes,  by  any 
man's  watch,  and  in  less  time,  too  ;  so  be  civil  —  I  want  no 
more  than  what's  right." 

There  was  a  simple  seriousness-  in  the  countenance  of 
Natty,  that  showed  he  was  much  in  earnest;  but  it  was  alsc 
evident  that  he  was  reluctant  to  shed  human  blood.  H« 
answered  the  taunt  of  the  wood-chopper,  by  saying,  — 

"  I  know  you  drop  a  tree  where  you  will,  Billy  Kirbj  , 
but  if  you  show  a  hand,  or  an  arm,  in  doing  it,  there'll  be 
bones  to  be  set,  and  blood  to  staunch.  If  it's  only  to  get  into 
the  cave  that  ye  want,  wait  till  a  two  hours'  sun,  and  you 
may  enter  it  in  welcome  ;  bat  come  in  now  you  shall  not 
There's  one  dead  body  already,  lying  on  the  cold  rocks,  and 
there's  another  in  which  the  life  can  hardly  be  said  to  stay 


450  THE  PIONEEBS. 

If  you  will  come  in,  there'll  be  dead  without  as  well  JM 
within." 

The  wood-chopper  stepped  out  fearlessly  from  his  cover 
and  cried,  — 

"  That's  fair  ;  and  what's  fair  is  right.  He  wants  yon 
to  stop  till  it's  two  hours  to  sundown  ;  and  I  see  reason 
in  the  thing.  A  man  can  give  up  when  he's  wrong,  if  you 
don't  crowd  him  too  haiu  ;  but  you  crowd  a  man,  and  he 
gets  to  be  like  a  stubborn  ox  —  the  more  you  beat,  the 
worse  he  kicks." 

The  sturdy  notions  of  independence  maintained  by  Billy, 
neither  suited  the  emergency  nor  the  impatience  of  Mr. 
Jones, Vho  was  burning  with  a  desire  to  examine  the  hidden 
mysteries  of  the  cave.  He  therefore  interrupted  this  ami 
cable  dialogue  with  his  own  voice. 

"  I  command  you,  Nathaniel  Bumppo,  by  my  authority, 
to  surrender  your  person  to  the  law,"  he  cried.  "  And  I 
command  you,  gentlemen,  to  aid  me  in  performing  my  duty. 
Benjamin  Penguillun,  I  arrest  you,  and  order  you  to  follow 
me  to  the  jail  of  the  county,  by  virtue  of  this  warrant." 

"  I'd  follow  ye.  Squire  Dickens,"  said  Benjamin,  remov 
ing  the  pipe  from  his  mouth  (for  during  the  whole  scene  the 
ex-major-domo  had  been  very  composedly  smoking),  "ayel 
I'd  sail  in  your  wake,  to  the  end  of  *the  world,  if-so-be  that 
there  was  such  a  place,  which  there  isn't,  seeing  that  it's 
round.  Now,  mayhap,  Master  Hollister,  having  lived  all 
your  life  oil  shore,  you  isn't  acquainted  that  the  world,  d'ye 
see"  — 

"  Surrender !  "  interrupted  the  veteran,  in  a  voice  that 
startled  his  hearers,  and  which  actually  caused  his  own 
forces  to  recoil  several  paces  ;  "  surrender,  Benjamin  Pen- 
gullum,  or  expect  no  quarter." 

"  Damn  your  quarter  !  "  said  Benjamin,  rising  from  the 
log  on  which  he  was  seated,  and  taking  a  squint  along  the 
barrel  of  the  swivel,  which  had  been  brought  on  the  hill 
during  the  night,  and  now  formed  the  means  of  defense  on 
his  side  of  the  works.  "  Look  you,  Master,  or  Captain,  tho'f 
I  questions  if  ye  know  the  name  of  a  rope,  except  the  one 
that's  to  hang  ye,  there's  no  need  of  singing  out,  as  if  ye 


THE  PIONEERS.  451 

Vraa  hailing  a  deaf  man  on  a  topgallant  yard.  Mayhap  you 
think  you've  got  my  true  name  in  your  sheepskin  ;  but 
what  British  sailor  finds  it  worth  while  to  sail  in  these  seas, 
without  a  sham  on  his  stern,  in  case  of  need,  d'ye  see.  If 
you  call  me  Penguillan,  you  calls  me  by  the  name  of  the 
man  on  whose  land,  d'}re  see,  I  hove  into  daylight ;  and  he 
was  a  gentleman  ;  and  that's  more  than  my  worst  enemy 
will  say  of  any  of  the  family  of  Benjamin  Stubbs." 

"  Send  the  warrant  round  to  me,  and  I'll  put  in  an  alias," 
cried  Hiram,  from  behind  his  cover. 

"  Put  in  a  jackass,  and  you'll  put  in  yourself,  Mister  Doo 
but-little,"  shouted  Benjamin,  who  kept  squinting  along  his 
little  iron  tube,  with  great  steadiness. 

"  I  give  you  but  one  moment  to  yield,"  cried  Richard. 
'*  Benjamin  !  Benjamin  !  this  is  not  the  gratitude  I  expected 
from  you." 

"  I  tell  you,  Richard  Jones,"  said  Natty,  who  dreaded  the 
Sheriff's  influence  over  his  comrade ;  "  though  the  canister 
the  gal  brought  be  lost,  there's  powder  enough  in  the  cave 
to  lift  the  rock  you  stand  on.  I'll  take  off  my  roof  if  you 
don't  hold  your  peace." 

"  I  think  it  beneath  the  dignity  of  my  office  to  parley 
further  with  the  prisoners,"  the  Sheriff  observed  to  his  com 
panion,  while  they  both  retired  with  a  precipitancy  that 
Captain  Hollister  mistook  for  the  signal  to  advance. 

"  Charge  baggonet !  "  shouted  the  veteran  ;  "  march  !  " 

Although  this  signal  was  certainly  expected,  it  took  the 
assailed  a  little  by  surprise,  and  the  veteran  approached  the 
works,  crying,  "  Courage,  my  brave  lads  !  givo  them  no 
quarter  unless  they  surrender  !  "  and  struck  a  furious  blow 
upwards  with  his  sabre,  that  would  have  divided  the  steward 
into  moieties,  by  subjecting  him  to  the  process  of  decapita 
tion,  but  for  the  fortunate  interference  of  the  muzzle  of  the 
swivel.  As  it  was,  the  gun  was  dismounted  at  the  critical 
moment  that  Benjamin  was  applying  his  pipe  to  the  prim 
ing,  and,  in  consequence,  some  five  or  six  dozen  of  rifle  bul 
lets  were  projected  into  the  air,  in  nearly  a  perpendicular 
line.  Philosophy  teaches  us  that  the  atmosphere  will  not 
retain  lead;  and  two  pounds  of  the  metal,  moulded  into 


452  THE  PIONEERS. 

bnllets  of  thirty  to  the  pound,  after  describing  an  ellipsis  in 
their  journey,  returned  to  the  earth  rattling  among  the 
branches  of  the  trees  directly  over  the  heads  of  the  troops 
stationed  in  the  rear  of  their  captain.  Much  of  the  success 
of  an  attack,  made  by  irregular  soldiers,  depends  on  the 
direction  in  which  they  are  first  got  in  motion.  In  the 
present  instance,  it  was  retrograde,  and  in  less  than  a  minute 
after  the  bellowing  report  of  the  swivel  among  the  rocks  and 
caverns,  the  whole  weight  of  the  attack  from  the  left  rested 
on  the  prowess  of  the  single  arm  of  the  veteran.  Benjamin 
received  a  severe  contusion  from  the  recoil  of  his  gun,  which 
produced  a  short  stupor,  during  which  period  the  ex-steward 
was  prostrate  on  the  ground.  Captain  Hollister  availed 
himself  of  this  circumstance  to  scramble  over  the  breast 
work,  and  obtain  a  footing  in  the  bastion  —  for  such  was 
the  nature  of  the  fortress,  as  connected  with  the  cave.  The 
moment  the  veteran  found  himself  within  the  works  of  his 
enemy,  he  rushed  to  the  edge  of  the  fortification,  and  wav 
ing  his  sabre  over  his  head,  shouted,  — 

"  Victory !    come   on,  my   brave   boys,  the  work's    our 
own!" 

All  this  was  perfectly  military,  ani  was  such  an  example 
as  a  gallant  officer  was  in  some  measure  bound  to  exhibit  to 
his  men ;  but  the  outcry  was  the  unlucky  cause  of  turning 
the  tide  of  success.  Natty,  who  had  been  keeping  a  vigi 
lant  eye  on  the  wood-chopper,  and  the  enemy  immediately 
before  him,  wheeled  at  this  alarm,  and  was  appalled  at  be 
holding  his  comrade  on  the  ground,  and  the  veteran  stand 
ing  on  his  own  bulwark,  giving  forth  the  cry  of  victory ! l 
The  muzzle  of  the  long  rifle  was  turned  instantly  towards 
the  Captain.  There  was  a  moment  when  the  life  of  the  old 
soldier  was  in  great  jeopardy  ;  but  the  object  to  shoot  at 
was  both  too  large  and  too  near  for  the  Leather-Stocking, 
who,  instead  of  pulling  his  trigger,  applied  the  gun  to  the 
rear  of  his  enemy,  and  by  a  powerful  shove  sent  him  out 
side  of  the  works  with  much  greater  rapidity  than  he  had 
entered  them.  The  spot  on  which  Captain  Hollister 
alighted  was  directly  in  front,  where,  as  his  feet  touched  the 
ground,  so  steep  and  slippery  was  the  side  of  the  mountain 


THE   PIONEERS.  453 

It  seemed  to  recede  from  under  them.  His  motion  waa 
swift,  and  so  irregular  as  utterly  to  confuse  the  faculties  of 
the  old  soldier.  During  its  continuance,  he  supposed  him 
self  to  be  mounted,  and  charging  through  the  ranks  of  hia 
enemy.  At  every  tree  he  made  a  blow,  of  course,  as  at  a 
foot  soldier ;  and  just  as  he  was  making  the  cut  u  St. 
George  "  at  a  half-burnt  sapling,  he  landed  in  the  highway, 
and,  to  his  utter  amazement,  at  the  feet  of  his  ow  i  spouse. 
When  Mrs.  Hollister,  who  was  toiling  up  the  hill,  followed 
by  at  least  twenty  curious  boys,  leaning  with  one  hand  on 
the  stiff  with  which  she  ordinarily  walked,  and  bearing  in 
the  other  an  empty  bag,  witnessed  this  exploit  of  her  hus 
band,  indignation  immediately  got  the  better,  not  only  of  her 
religion,  but  of  her  philosophy. 

"  Why,  sergeant !  is  it  flying  ye  are  ?  "  she  cried  ;  "  that 
[  should  live  to  see  a  husband  of  mine  turn  his  back  to  the 
inimy  !  and  sich  a  one  !  Here  have  I  been  telling  the  b'ys, 
ts  we  come  along,  all  about  the  saige  of  Yorrektown,  and 
how  ye  was  hurted ;  and  how  ye'd  be  acting  the  same  ag'in 
the  day ;  and  I  mate  ye  retraiting  jist  as  the  first  gun  is 
fired.  Och  !  I  may  trow  away  the  bag  !  for  if  there's  plun 
der,  'twill  not  be  the  wife  of  sich  as  yeerself  that  will  be  priv 
ileged  to  be  getting  the  same.  They  do  say,  too,  there  is  a 
power  of  goold  and  silver  in  the  place  —  the  Lord  forgive 
oie  for  setting  my  heart  on  worreldly  things  ;  but  what  falls 
in  the  battle,  there's  Scriptur'  for  believing,  is  the  just  prop 
erty  of  the  victor." 

"  Retreating ! "  exclaimed  the  amazed  veteran ;  "  where's 
uiy  horse  ?  he  has  been  shot  under  me  —  I  " 

"  Is  the  man  mad  ?  "  interrupted  his  wife  ;  "  divil  the 
horse  do  ye  own,  sergeant,  and  ye're  nothing  but  a  shabby 
captain  of  malaishy.  O  !  if  the  raal  captain  was  here,  'ti? 
the  other  way  ye'd  be  riding,  dear,  or  you  would  not  follow 
four  1  aider  !  " 

While  this  worthy  couple  were  thus  discussing  event*, 
u^s  battle,  began  to  rage  more  violently  than  ever  above 
them.  When  the  Leather-Stocking  saw  his  enemy  fairly 
under  head-way,  as  Benjamin  would  express  it,  he  gave  his 
attention  again  to  the  right  wing  of  the  assailants.  I*  vould 


454  THE   PIONEERS. 

have  been  easy  for  Kirby,  with  his  powerful  frame,  w 
have  seized  the  moment  to  scale  the  bastion,  and,  with  hi? 
great  strength,  to  have  sent  both  its  defenders  in  pursuit  of 
the  veteran  ;  but  hostility  appeared  to  be  the  passion  that 
the  wood-chopper  indulged  the  least  in  at  that  moment,  for, 
in  a  voice  that  was  heard  by  the  retreating  left  wing,  lie 
shouted,  — 

"  Hurra  !  well  done,  Captain !  keep  it  up  !  how  he  handles 
his  bush-hook  !  lie  makes  nothing  of  a  sapling  !  "  and  such 
other  encouraging  exclamations  to  the  flying  veteran,  until, 
overcome  by  mirth,  the  good-natured  fellow  seated  himself 
on  the  ground,  kicking  the  earth  with  delight,  and  giving 
vent  to  peal  after  peal  of  laughter. 

Natty  stood  all  this  time  in  a  menacing  attitude,  with  his 
nfle  pointed  over  the  breastwork,  watching  with  a  quick 
and  cautious  eye  the  least  movement  of  the  assailants.  The 
outcry  unfortunately  tempted  the  ungovernable  curiosity  of 
Hiram  to  take  a  peep  from  behind  his  cover  at  the  state  of 
the  battle.  Though  this  evolution  was  performed  with  great 
caution,  in  protecting  his  front,  he  left,  like  many  a  better 
commander,  his  rear  exposed  to  the  attacks  of  his  enemy. 
Mr.  Doolittle  belonged  physically  to  a  class  of  his  country 
men  to  whom  nature  has  denied,  in  their  formation,  the  use 
of  curved  lines.  Everything  about  him  was  either  straight 
or  angular.  But  his  tailor  was  a  woman  who  worked,  liko 
a  regimental  contractor,  by  a  set  of  rules  that  gave  the  same 
configuration  to  the  whole  human  species.  Consequently 
when  Mr.  Doolittle  leaned  forward  in  the  manner  described,  4 
a  loose  drapery  appeared  behind  the  tree,  at  which  the  rifle  ( 
of  Natty  was  pointed  with  the  quickness  of  lightning.  A 
less  experienced  man  would  have  aimed  at  the  flowing  robe,, 
which  hung  like  a  festoon  half  way  to  the  earth  ;  but  the 
Leather-Stocking  knew  both  the  man  and  his  female  tailoi 
better  ;  and  when  the  smart  report  of  the  rifle  was  heard. 
Kirby,  who  watched  the  whole  manoeuvre  in  breathless  ex 
pectation,  saw  the  bark  fly  from  the  beech,  and  the  cloth,  at 
some  distance  above  the  loose  folds,  wave  at  the  same  in- 
Btant.  No  battery  was  ever  unmasked  with  more  prompt!* 
tude  than  Hiran?  advanced  from  behind  the  tree  at  thii 
summons. 


THE  PIONEERS.  466 

He  made  two  or  three  steps,  with  great  precision,  to  the 
front,  and  placing  one  hand  on  the  afflicted  part,  stretched 
forth  the  other,  with  a  menacing  air  towards  Natty,  and 
cried  aloud,  — 

"  Gawl  darn  ye  !  this  shan't  be  settled  so  easy  ;  I'll  fol 
low  it  from  the  '  common  pleas '  to  the  '  court  of  errors.'  " 

Such  a  shocking  imprecation  from  the  mouth  of  so  orderly 
a  man  as  Squire  Doolittle,  with  the  fearless  manner  in  which 
he  exposed  himself,  together  with,  perhaps,  the  knowledge 
that  Natty's  rifle  was  unloaded,  encouraged  the  troops  in  the 
rear,  who  gave  a  loud  shout,  and  fired  a  volley  into  the 
tree-tops,  after  the  contents  of  the  swivel.  Animated  by 
their  own  noise,  the  men  now  rushed  on  in  earnest ;  and 
Billy  Kirby,  who  thought  the  joke,  good  as  it  was,  had  gone 
far  enough,  was  in  the  act  of  scaling  the  works,  when  Judge 
Temple  appeared  on  the  opposite  side,  exclaiming,  — 

"  Silence  and  peace !  why  do  I  see  murder  and  bloodshed 
attempted  ?  is  not  the  law  sufficient  to  protect  itself,  that 
armed  bands  must  be  gathered,  as  in  rebellion  and  war,  to 
see  justice  performed  ?  " 

"  'Tis  the  posse  comitatus,"  shouted  the  Sheriff,  from  a 
distant  rock,  "  who  "  — 

"  Say  rather  a  posse  of  demons.     I  command  the  peace." 

"  Hold  !  shed  not  blood  !  "  cried  a  voice  from  the  top  of 
the  Vision.  "  Hold,  for  the  sake  of  Heaven,  fire  no  more  ! 
all  shall  be  yielded  !  you  shall  enter  the  cave  !  " 

Amazement  produced  the  desired  effect.  Natty,  who 
had  reloaded  his  piece,  quietly  seated  himself  on  the  logs, 
and  rested  his  head  on  his  hand,  while  the  "  Light  Infantry  " 
ceased  their  military  movements,  and  waited  the  issue  in 
suspense. 

In  less  than  a  minute  Edwards  came  rushing  down  the 
hill,  followed  by  Major  Hartmann  with  a  velocity  that  waa 
{surprising  for  his  years.  They  reached  the  terrace  in  an 
instant,  from  which  the  youth  led  the  way,  by  the  hollow 
in  the  rock,  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  into  which  they  both 
entered ;  leaving  all  without  silent  and  gazing  after  then 
with  astonishment 


456  THE  PIONEERS 


CHAPTER  XL. 

I  am  dumb. 
Were  you  the  Doctor,  and  I  knew  you  not  ? 

SHAKZSFEAK3. 

DURING  the  five  or  six  minutes  that  elapsed  before  the 
youth  and  Major  reappeared,  Judge  Temple  and  the 
Sheriff,  together  with  most  of  the  volunteers,  ascended  to 
the  terrace,  where  the  latter  began  to  express  their  con 
jectures  of  the  result,  and  to  recount  their  individual  ser 
vices  in  the  conflict.  But  the  sight  of  the  peacemakers 
ascending  the  ravine  shut  every  mouth. 

On  a  rude  chair,  covered  with  undressed  deerskins,  they 
supported  a  human  being,  whom  they  seated  carefully  and 
respectfully  in  the  midst  of  the  assembly.  His  head  was 
covered  by  long,  smooth  locks  of  the  color  of  snow.  His 
dress,  which  was  studiousl)  neat  and  clean,  was  composed 
of  such  fabrics  as  none  but  the  wealthiest  classes  wear,  but 
was  threadbare  and  patched  ;  and  on  his  feet  were  placed  a 
pair  of  moccasins,  ornamented  in  the  best  manner  of  Indian 
ingenuity.  The  outlines  of  his  face  were  grave  and  digni 
fied,  though  his  vacant  eye,  which  opened  and  turned  slowly 
to  the  faces  of  those  around  him  in  unmeaning  looks,  too * 
surely  announced  that  the  period  had  arrived,  when  age 
brings  the  mental  imbecility  of  childhood. 

Natty  had  followed  the  supporters  of  this  unexpecttxi 
ol  ject  to  the  top  of  the  cave,  and  took  his  station  at  a  little 
distance  behind  him,  leaning  on  his  rifle,  in  the  midst  of  his 
pursuers,  with  a  fearlessness  that  showed  that  heavier  intor 
ists  than  those  which  affected  himself  were  to  be  decided. 
Major  Hartmann  placed  himself  beside  the  aged  man,  un 
covered,  with  his  whole  soul  beaming  through  those  eyes 
which  80  commonly  danced  with  frolic  and  humor.  Edward* 


THE  PIONEERS.  457 

rested  with  one  hand  familiarly,  but  affectionately,  on  the 
chair,  though  his  heart  was  swelling  with  emotions  that  de 
nied  him  utterance. 

All  eyes  were  gazing  intently,  out  each  tongue  contin 
ued  aiute.  At  length  the  decrepit  stranger,  turning  hia 
vacant  looks  from  face  to  face,  made  a  feeble  attempt  to 
rise,  while  a  faint  smile  crossed  his  wasted  face,  like  an 
habitual  effort  at  courtesy,  as  he  said,  in  a  hollow,  tremu 
lous  voice, — 

"  Be  pleased  to  be  seated,  gentlemen.  The  council  will 
open  immediately.  Each  one  who  loves  a  good  and  virtu 
ous  king,  will  wish  to  see  these  colonies  continue  loyal. 
Be  seated  —  I  pray  you,  ue  seated,  gentlemen.  The  troops 
shall  halt  for  the  night." 

"  This  is  the  wandering  of  insanity  "  said  Murmaduke ; 
"  who  will  explain  this  scene  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Edwards,  firmly,  "  'tis  only  the  decay  of 
nature  ;  who  is  answerable  for  its  pitiful  condition,  remains 
to  be  shown." 

"  "Will  the  gentlemen  dine  with  us,  my  son  ?  "  said  the 
old  stranger,  turning  to  a  voice  that  he  both  knew  and 
loved.  "  Order  a  repast  suitable  for  his  Majesty's  officers. 
You  know  we  have  the  best  of  game  always  at  command." 

"  Who  is  this  man  ? "  asked  Marmaduke,  in  a  hurried 
voice,  in  which  the  dawnings  of  conjecture  united  with  in 
terest  to  put  the  question. 

"  This  man ! "  returned  Edwards  calmly,  his  voice,  how 
ever,  gradually  rising  as  he  proceeded ;  "  this  man,  sir, 
whom  you  behold  hid  in  caverns,  and  deprived  of  every 
thing  that  can  make  life  desirable,  was  once  the  companion 
and  counselor  of  those  who  ruled  your  country.  This  man, 
whom  you  see  helpless  and  feeble,  was  once  a  warrior,  so 
brave  and  fearless,  that  even  the  intrepid  natives  gave  him 
the  name  of  the  Fire-eater.  This  man,  whom  you  now  see 
destitute  of  even  the  ordinary  comfort  of  a  cabin,  in  which 
to  shelter  his  head,  was  once  the  owner  of  great  riches; 
and,  Judge  Temple,  he  was  the  rightful  proprietor  of  this 
very  soil  on  which  we  sta^d.  This  man  was  the  father 
of"  — 


458  THE  PIONEEBS. 

"  This  then,"  cried  Marmaduke,  with  a  powerful  emotion 
u  this,  then,  is  the  lost  Major  Effingham ! " 

"  Lost  indeed,"  said  the  youth,  fixing  a  piercing  eye  OD 
the  other. 

"  And  you !  and  you !  *'  continued  the  Judge,  articulating 
with  difficulty. 

"  I  am  his  grandson." 

A  minute  passed  in  profound  silence.  All  eyes  weio 
fixed  on  the  speakers,  and  even  the  old  German  appeared 
to  ivait  the  issue  in  deep  anxiety.  But  the  moment  of 
agitation  soon  passed.  Marmaduke  raised  his  head  from 
his  bosom,  where  it  had  sunk,  not  in  shame,  but  in  devout 
mental  thanksgivings,  and,  as  large  tears  fell  over  his  fine 
manly  face,  he  grasped  the  hand  of  the  youth  warmly,  and 
said,  — 

"  Oliver,  I  forgive  all  thy  harshness  —  all  thy  suspicions. 
I  now  see  it  all.  I  forgive  thee  everything,  but  suffering 
this  aged  man  to  dwell  in  such  a  place,  when  not  only  my 
habitation,  but  my  fortune,  were  at  his  and  thy  command." 

"  He's  true  as  ter  steel ! "  shouted  Major  Hartmann  ; 
"  titn't  I  tell  you,  lat,  dat  Marmatuke  Temple  vast  a  frient 
dat  woult  never  fail  in  ter  dime  as  of  neet  ?  " 

"  It  is  true,  Judge  Temple,  that  my  opinions  of  your  con 
duct  have  been  staggered  by  what  this  worthy  gentleman 
has  told  me.  When  I  found  it  impossible  to  convey  my 
grandfather  back  whence  the  enduring  love  of  this  old  man 
brought  him,  without  detection  and  exposure,  I  went  to  the 
Mohawk  in  quest  of  one  of  his  former  comrades,  in  whose 
justice  I  had  dependence.  He  is  your  friend,  Judge 
Temple,  but  if  what  he  says  be  true,  both  my  .father  and 
myself  may  have  judged  you  harshly." 

"  You  name  your  father ! "  said  Marmaduke,  tenderly ; 
*  was  he,  indeed,  lost  in  the  packet  ?  " 

"  He  was.  He  had  left  me,  after  several  years  of  fruit 
less  application  and  comparative  poverty,  in  Nova  Scotia, 
to  obtain  the  compensation  for  his  losses  which  the  British 
commissioners  had  at  length  awarded.  After  spending  a 
year  in  England,  he  was  returning  to  Halifax,  on  his  way 
»o  a  government  to  which  he  had  been  appointed,  in  th« 


THE   PIONEERS  459 

West  Indies,  intending  to  go  to  the  place  where  nay  giand- 
father  had  sojourned  during  and  since  the  war,  and  tak« 
him  with  us." 

"  But  thou  !  "  said  Marmaduke,  with  powerful  interest ; 
u  I  had  thought  that  thou  hadst  perished  with  him." 

A  flush  passed  over  the  cheeks  of  the  young  man,  who 
gazed  about  him  at  the  wondering  faces  of  the  volunteers, 
and  continued  silent.  Marmaduke  turned  to  the  veterai- 
Captain,  who  just  then  rejoined  his  command,  and  said,  — 

"  March  thy  soldiers  back  again,  and  dismiss  them  ;  the 
zeal  of  the  Sheriff  has  much  mistaken  his  duty.  Dr.  Todd, 
I  will  thank  you  to  attend  to  the  injury  which  Hiram  Doo- 
little  has  received  in  this  untoward  affair.  Richard,  you 
will  oblige  me  by  sending  up  the  carriage  to  the  top  of  the 
hill.  Benjamin,  return  to  your  duty  in  my  family." 

Unwelcome  as  these  orders  were  to  most  of  the  auditors, 
the  suspicion  that  they  had  somewhat  exceeded  the  whole 
some  restraints  of  the  law,  and  the  habitual  respect  with 
which  all  the  commands  of  the  Judge  were  received,  induced 
a  prompt  compliance. 

When  they  were  gone,  and  the  rock  was  left  to  the  par 
ties  most  interested  in  an  explanation,  Marmaduke,  point 
ing  to  the  aged  Major  Effingham,  said  to  his  grandson,  — 

"  Had  we  not  better  remove  thy  parent  from  this  open 
place,  until  my  carriage  can  arrive  ?  " 

"  Pardon  me,  sir,  the  air  does  him  good,  and  he  has  taken 
it  whenever  there  was  no  dread  of  a  discovery.  I  know 
not  how  to  act,  Judge  Temple ;  ought  I,  can  I,  suffer  Major 
Emngham  to  become  an  inmate  of  your  family  ?  " 

"  Thou  shalt  be  thyself  the  judge,"  said  Marmaduke. 
"  Thy  father  was  my  early  friend.  lie  intrusted  his  for 
tune  to  my  care.  When  we  separated,  he  had  such  confi 
dence  in  me,  that  he  wished  no  security,  no  evidence  of  the 
trust,  even  had  there  been  time  or  convenience  for  exact 
ing  it.  This  thou  hast  heard  ?  " 

"  Most  truly,  sir,"  said  Edwards,  or  rather  Effingham,  as 
we  must  now  call  him. 

"  We  differed  in  politics.  If  the  cause  of  this  country 
was  successful,  the  trust  was  sacred  witb  me,  for  none  knew 


460  THE   PIONEERS. 

of  thy  father's  interest.  If  the  ciown  still  held  its  sway,  it 
would  be  easy  to  restore  the  property  of  so  loyal  a  subject 
as  Colonel  Effi.ngham.  Is  not  this  plain  ?  " 

"  The  premises  are  good,  sir,"  continued  the  youth,  witfc 
the  same  incredulous  look  as  before. 

"  Listen  —  listen,  poy,"  said  the  German.  "  Dere  is  no* 
a  hair  as  of  ter  rogue  in  ter  het  of  ter  Tchooge." 

"  We  all  know  the  issue  of  the  struggle,"  continued  Mar 
maduke,  disregarding  both.  "  Thy  grandfather  was  left  iu 
Connecticut,  regularly  supplied  by  thy  father  with  th€ 
means  of  such  a  subsistence  as  suited  his  wants.  This  ] 
well  knew,  though  I  never  had  intercourse  with  him,  even 
in  our  happiest  days.  Thy  father  retired  with  the  troops 
to  prosecute  his  claims  on  England.  At  all  events,  his 
losses  must  be  great,  for  his  veal  estates  were  sold,  and  I 
became  the  lawful  purchaser.  It  was  not  unnatural  to  wish 
that  he  might  have  no  bar  to  its  just  recovery." 

"  There  was  none,  but  the  difficulty  of  providing  for  so 
many  claimants." 

"  But  there  would  have  been  one,  and  an  insuperable 
one,  had  I  announced  to  the  world  that  I  held  these  es 
tates,  multiplied,  by  the  times  and  my  industry,  a  hundred 
fold  in  value,  only  as  his  trustee.  Thou  knowest  that  I 
supplied  him  with  considerable  sums,  immediately  after  the 
war." 

"  You  did,  until  "  — 

"  My  letters  were  returned  unopened.  Thy  father  had 
much  of  thy  own  spirit,  Oliver  ;  he  was  sometimes  hasty, 
and  rash."  The  Judge  continued,  in  a  self-condemning 
manner,  "  Perhaps  my  fault  lies  the  other  way  ;  I  may  pos 
sibly  look  too  far  ahead,  and  calculate  too  deeply.  It  cer 
tainly  was  a  severe  trial  to  allow  the  man  whom  I  most 
.oved,  to  think  ill  of  me  for  seven  years,  in  order  that  he 
might  honestly  apply  for  his  just  remunerations.  But  had 
he  opened  my  last  letters,  thou  wouldst  have  learned  the 
ft hole  Until.  Those  I  sent  him  to  England,  by  what  my 
agent  writes  me,  he  did  read  He  died,  Oliver,  knowing 
all.  He  died,  my  friend,  and  I  thought  thou  hadst  died 
with  him." 


THE  HONEERS.  46  J 

u  Our  poverty  would  not  permit  us  to  pay  for  two  pas* 
lages,"  said  the  youth,  with  the  extraordinary  emotion  with 
which  he  ever  alluded  to  the  degraded  state  of  his  family ; 
"  I  was  left  in  the  Province  to  wait  for  his  return,  and 
when  '  the  sad  news  of  his  loss  reached  me,  I  was  nearly 
penniless." 

"  And  what  didst  thou,  boy  ? "  asked  Marmaduke  :n  i 
faltering  voice. 

"  I  took  my  passage  here  in  search  of  my  grandfather  j 
for  I  well  knew  that  his  resources  were  gone,  with  the  half- 
pay  of  my  father.  Ou  reaching  his  abode,  I  learnt  that  he 
had  left  it  in  secret ;  though  the  reluctant  hireling,  who 
had  deserted  him  in  his  poverty,  owned  to  my  urgent  en 
treaties,  that  he  believed  he  had  been  carried  away  by  an 
old  man  who  had  formerly  been  his  servant.  I  knew  at 
once  it  was  Natty,  for  my  father  often  "  — 

"  Was  Natty  a  servant  of  thy  grandfather  ?  "  exclaimed 
the  Judge. 

" Of  that,  too,  were  you  ignorant?"  said  the  youth,  in 
evident  surprise. 

"  How  should  I  know  it  ?  I  never  met  the  Major,  nor 
was  the  name  of  Bumppo  ever  mentioned  to  me.  I  knew 
him  only  as  a  man  of  the  woods,  and  one  who  lived  by 
hunting.  Such  men  are  too  common  to  excite  surprise." 

"  He  was  reared  in  the  family  of  my  grandfather ;  served 
him  for  many  years  during  their  campaigns  at  the  West, 
where  he  became  attached  to  the  woods ;  and  he  was  left 
here  MS  a  kind  of  locum  tenens  on  the  lands  that  old  Mo- 
hegan  (whose  life  my  grandfather  once  saved)  induced  the 
Delawares  to  grant  to  him,  when  they  admitted  him  as  ac 
honorary  member  of  their  tribe." 

"  This,  then,  is  thy  Indian  blood  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  other,"  said  Edwards,  smiling ;  "  Majoi 
EiTingharn  was  adopted  as  the  son  of  Mohegan,  who  at  that 
time  was  the  greatest  man  in  his  nation  ;  and  my  father, 
who  visited  those  people  when  a  boy,  received  the  name  of 
the  Eagle  from  them,  on  account  of  the  shape  of  his  face, 
as  1  understand.  They  have  extended  his  title  to  ne.  1 
no  other  Indian  blood  or  breeding ;  though  I  have 


462  THE  PIONEERS. 

seen  the  hour,  Judge  Temple,  when  I  could  wisn  that  such 
had  been  my  lineage  and  education." 

"  Proceed  with  thy  tale,"  said  Marinaduke. 

"  I  have  but  little  more  to  say,  sir.  I  followed  to  the 
lake  where  I  had  so  often  been  told  that  Natty  dwelt,  and 
found  him  maintaining  his  old  master  in  secret ;  for  even 
lie  could  not  bear  to  exhibit  to  the  world,  m  his  povcitj 
and  dotage,  a  man  whom  a  whole  people  once  looked  up  to 
with  respect." 

«  And  what  did  you  ?  " 

"  What  did  I !  I  spent  my  last  money  in  purchasing  a 
rifle,  clad  myself  in  a  coarse  garb,  and  learned  to  be  a 
hunter  by  the  side  of  Leather-Stocking.  You  know  the 
rest,  Judge  Temple." 

"  Ant  vere  vast  olt  Fritz  Hartmann  ?  "  said  the  German 
reproachfully  ;  "  didst  never  hear  a  name  as  of  olt  Fritz 
Hartmann  from  ter  mout  of  ter  fader,  lat  ?  " 

"  I  may  have  been  mistaken,  gentlemen,"  returned  the 
youth  ;  "  but  I  had  pride,  and  could  not  submit  to  such  an 
exposure  as  this  day  even  has  reluctantly  brought  to  light. 
I  had  plans  that  might  have  been  visionary ;  but,  should 
my  parent  survive  till  autumn,  I  purposed  taking  him  with 
me  to  the  city,  where  we  have  distant  relatives,  who  must 
have  learnt  to  forget  the  Tory  by  this  time.  He  decays 
rapidly,"  he  continued,  mournfully,  "  and  must  soon  lie  by 
the  side  of  old  Mohegan." 

The  air  being  pure,  and  the  day  fine,  the  party  contin 
ued  conversing  on  the  rock,  until  the  wheels  of  Judge  Tem 
ple's  carriage  were  heard  clattering  up  the  side  of  the* 
mountain,  during  which  time  the  conversation  was  main 
tained  with  deep  interest,  each  moment  clearing  up  some 
doubtful  action,  and  lessening  the  antipathy  of  the  youth  to 
Marinaduke.  He  no  longer  objected  to  the  removal  of  hia 
grandfather,  who  displayed  a  childish  pleasure  when  he 
found  himself  seated  once  more  in  a  carriage.  When 
placed  in  the  ample  hall  of  the  Mansion-house,  the  eyes  of 
the  aged  veteran  turned  slowly  to  the  objects  in  the  apart 
ment,  and  a  look  like  the  dawn  of  intellect  would,  for 
moments,  flit  across  his  features,  when  he  invariably  offered 


THE   PIONEERS.  463 

•omc  useless  courtesies  to  those  near  him,  waudciing  pain 
fully,  in  his  subjects.  The  exercise  and  the  change  soon 
produced  an  exhaustion  that  caused  them  to  remove  him  to 
his  bed,  where  he  lay  for  hours,  evidently  sensible  of  the 
change  in  his  comforts,  and  exhibiting  that  mortifying  pic 
turc  of  human  nature,  which  too  plainly  shows  that  tho 
propensities  of  the  animal  continue  even  after  the  nobler 
part  of  the  creature  appears  to  have  vanished. 

Until  his  parent  was  placed  comfortably  in  bed,  with. 
Natty  seated  at  his  side,  Effingham  did  not  quit  him.  He 
then  obeyed  a  summons  to  the  library  of  the  Judge,  where 
he  found  the  latter,  with  Major  Ilartmann,  waiting  for  him 

"  Read  this  paper,  Oliver,"  said  Marmaduke  to  him,  aa 
he  entered,  "  and  thou  wilt  find  that,  so  far  from  intending 
thy  family  wrong  during  life,  it  has  been  my  care  to  see 
that  justice  should  be  done  at  even  a  later  day." 

The  youth  took  the  paper,  which  his  first  glance  told 
him  was  the  will  of  the  Judge.  Hurried  and  agitated  as 
he  was,  he  discovered  that  the  date  corresponded  with  the 
time  of  the  unusual  depression  of  Marmaduke.  As  he  pro 
ceeded  his  eyes  began  to  moisten,  and  the  hand  which  held 
the  instrument  shook  violently. 

The  will  commenced  with  the  usual  forms,  spun  out  by 
the  ingenuity  of  Mr.  Van  der  School ;  but  after  this  sub 
ject  was  fairly  exhausted,  the  pen  of  Marmaduke  became 
plainly  visible.  In  clear,  distinct,  manly,  and  even  eloquent 
language,  he  recounted  his  obligations  to  Colonel  Effingham, 
the  nature  of  their  connection,  and  the  circumstances  in 
which  they  separated.  He  then  proceeded  to  relate  the 
motives  of  his  long  silence,  mentioning,  however,  large  sums 
that  he  had  forwarded  to  his  friend,  which  had  been  re 
turned  with  the  letters  unopened.  After  this,  he  spoke  of 
his  search  for  the  grandfather,  who  had  imaccountabl  /  iis- 
appcared,  and  his  fears  that  the  direct  heir  of  the  trust  was 
buried  in  the  ocean  with  his  father. 

After,  in  short,  recounting  in  a  clear  narrative,  the  events 
wliic.h  our  readers  must  now  be  able  to  connect,  he  pro 
ceeded  to  make  a  fair  and  exact  statement  of  the  sums  left 
in  his  care  by  Colonel  Eifingham.  A  devise  of  his*  whole 


464  THE   PIONEERS. 

estate  to  certain  responsible  trustees  followed ;  to  hold  tha 
same  for  the  benefit,  in  equal  moieties,  of  his  daughter,  01^ 
one  part,  and  of  Oliver  Effingham,  formerly  a  major  in  the 
army  of  Great  Britain,  and  of  his  son,  Edward  Effingham, 
and  of  his  son  Edward  Oliver  Effingham,  or  to  the  sur-| 
vivor  of  them,  and  the  descendants  of  such  survivor,  for-! 
ever,  on  the  other  part.  The  trust  was  to  endure  until 
1810,  when,  if  no  person  appeared,  or  could  be  found,  after 
sufficient  notice,  to  claim  the  moiety  so  devised,  then  a 
certain  sum,  calculating  the  principal  and  interest  of  his] 
debt  to  Colonel  Effingham,  was  to  be  paid  to  the  heirs  at 
law  of  the  Effingham  family,  and  the  bulk  of  his  estate  was 
to  be  conveyed  in  fee  to  his  daughter,  or  her  heirs. 

The  tears  fell  from  the  eyes  of  the  young  man,  as  he 
read  this  undeniable  testimony  of  the  good  faith  of  Marma- 
duke,  and  his  bewildered  gaze  was  still  fastened  on  the  I 
paper,  when  a  voice,  that  thrilled  on  every  nerve,  spoke  i 
near  him,  saying, — 

u  Do  you  yet  doubt  us,  Oliver  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  doubted  you!"  cried  the  youth,  recovei  : 
ing  his  recollection  and  his  voice,  as  he  sprang  to  seize  the  i 
hand  of  Elizabeth;  "  no,  not  one  moment  has   my  faith  in 
you  wavered." 

"  And  my  father  "  — 

"  God  bless  him  !  " 

"  I  thank  thee,  my  son,"  said  the  Judge,  exchanging  a 
warm  pressure  of  the  hand  with  the  youth  ;  "  but  we  have  i 
both  erred;  thou  hast  been  too  hasty,  and  I  Lave  been  too  i 
Blow.  One  half  of  my  estates  shall  be  thine  as  soon  asj 
they 'can  be  conveyed  to  thee;  and  if  what  my  suspicions  j 
tell  me  be  true,  I  suppose  the  other  must  follow  speedily.w<j 
Mo  took  the  hand  which  he  held,  and  united  it  with  that] 
of  his  daughter,  and  motioned  towards  the  door  to  th« 
Major, 

"  I  telt  you  vat,  gal  !  "  said  the   old  German,  good-h*  | 
moredly  ;  "  if  I  vast  as  I  vast  ven  I  cervit  mit  his  grand-  j 
fader  on  ter  lakes,  ter  lazy  tog  shouln't  vin  ter  prize  as 
for  nottin." 

"  Come,  come,  old  Fritz,"  said  the  Judge  ;    "  you  are 


THE   PIONEERS.  405 

seventy,  not  seventeen  ;  Richard  waits  for  you  with  a  bowl 
of  egg-nog,  in  the  hall." 

"  Richart !  ter  duy vel ! "  exclaimed  the  other,  hastening 
out  of  the  room  ;  "  he  makes  ter  nog  ast  for  ter  horse.  I 
Filt  show  ter  Sheriff  mit  my  own  hants !  Ter  duy  vel !  I 
pelieve  he  sweetens  mit  ter  yankee  melasses ! " 

Marmaduke  smiled  and  nodded  affectionately  at  the 
young  couple,  and  closed  the  door  after  them.  If  any  of 
our  readers  expect  that  we  are  going  to  open  it  again,  for 
their  gratification,  they  are  mistaken. 

The  tete-a-tete  continued  for  a  very  unreasonable  time ; 
bow  long  we  shall  not  say ;  but  it  was  ended  by  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  for  at  that  hour  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  made  his 
appearance  agreeably  to  the  appointment  of  the  preceding 
day,  and  claimed  the  ear  of  Miss  Temple.  He  wns  idmit- 
ted ;  when  he  made  an  offer  of  his  hand,  with  much  suavity, 
together  with  his  "  amis  beeg  and  leet',  his  pere,  his  mere, 
and  his  sucre-boosh."  Elizabeth  might,  possibly,  have  pre 
viously  entered  into  some  embarrassing  and  binding  en 
gagements  with  Oliver,  for  she  declined  the  tender  of  all, 
Sin  terms  as  polite,  though  perhaps  a  little  more  decided, 
than  those  in  which  they  were  made. 

The  Frenchman  soon  joined  the  German  and  the  Sher 
iff  in  the  hall,  who  compelled  him  to  take  a  scat  with  them 
[at  the  table,  where,  by  the  aid  of  punch,  wine,  and  egg-nog, 
tthey  soon   extracted  from   the  complaisant  Monsieur   Le 
f  Quoi  the  nature  of  his  visit.     It  was  evident  that  he   had 
'  made  the  offer,  as  a  duty  which  a  well-bred  man  owed  to  a 
lady  in  such  a  retired  place,  before  he  left  the  country,  and 
that  his  feelings  were  but  very  little,  if  at  all,  interested   in 
[  the   matter.     After  a  few   potations,  the  waggish  pair  per- 
l  siuuled  the  exhilarated  Frenchman  that  there  was  an  inex- 
|  disable  partiality  in  offering  to  one  lady,  and  not  extending 
I  a  similar   courtesy  to  another.      Consequently,  about  nine, 
[  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  sallied  forth  to  the  Rectory,  on  a  similar 
I  mission   to  Miss   Grant,  which  proved   as  successful  as  his 
first  effort  in  love. 

When  he  returned  to  the  Mansion-house,  at  ten,  Richard 
and  the  Major  were  still  seated  at  the  table.  They  at 

30 


466  THE  PIONEERS. 

tempted  to  persuade  the  Gaul,  as  the  Sheriff  called  him, 
that  he  should  next  try  Remarkable  Pettibone.  But^ 
though  stimulated  by  mental  excitement  and  wine,  twj 
hours  of  abstruse  logic  were  thrown  away  on  this  subject^ 
for  he  declined  their  advice,  with  a  pertinacity  truly  aston-I 
ishing  in  so  polite  a  man. 

When  Benjamin  lighted  Monsieur  Le  Quoi  from  thd 
door,  he  said,  at  parting,  — 

"  If-so-be,  Mounsl'eer,  you'd  run  alongside  Mistrestfj 
Prettybones,  as  the  Squire  Dickens  was  bidding  ye,  'tis  mj^ 
notion  you'd  have  been  grappled ;  in  which  case,  d'ye  sea 
you  mought  have  been  troubled  in  swinging  clear  again  in 
a  handsome  manner ;  for  tho'f  Miss  Lizzy  and  the  parson Y 
young'un  be  tidy  little  vessels,  that  shoot  by  a  body  on  a 
wind,  Mistress  Remarkable  is  sum'mat  of  a  galliot  fashion  5 
when  you  once  takes  'em  in  tow,  they  doesn't  like  to  bi 
east  off  again." 


THE  PIONEERS.  467 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

Yea,  sweep  ye  on  !    We  will  not  leave, 
For  them  who  triumph,  those  who  grieve. 

With  that  armada  gay 
Be  laughter  loud,  and  jocund  shout  — 

—  But  with  that  skiff 
Abides  the  minstrel  tale. 

LORD  OF  THE  ISLES. 

THE  events  of  our  tale  carry  us  through  the  summer; 
and  after  making  nearly  the  circle  of  the  year,  we  must  con 
clude  our  labors  in  the  delightful  month  of  October.  Many 
important  incidents  had,  however,  occurred  in  the  interven 
ing  period  ;  a  few  of  which  it  may  be  necessary  to  recount. 

The  two  principal  were  the  marriage  of  Oliver  and  Eliz 
abeth,  and  the  death  of  Major  Elfingham.  They  both  took 
place  early  in  September  ;  and  the  former  preceded  the 
latter  only  a  few  days.  The  old  man  passed  away  like  the 
last  glimmering  of  a  taper;  and  though  his  death  cast  a 
melancholy  over  the  family,  grief  could  not  follow  such  an 
end. 

One  of  the  chief  concerns  of  Marmaduke  was  to  reconcile 
the  even  conduct  of  a  magistrate  with  the  course  that  his 
feelings  dictated  to  the  criminals.  The  day  succeeding  the 
discovery  at  the  cave,  however,  Natty  and  Benjamin  re- 
entered  the  jail  peaceably,  where  they  continued,  well  fed 
••id  comfortable,  until  the  return  of  an  express  to  Albany, 
«vlio  brought  the  governor's  pardon  to  the  Leather-Stock 
ing.  In  the  mean  time,  proper  means  were  employed  to 
satisfy.  Hiram  for  the  assaults  on  his  person  ;  and  on  the 
same  day,  the  two  comrades  issued  together  into  society 
again,  with  their  characters  not  at  all  affected  by  the  impria- 


Mr.  Doolittle  began  to  discover,  that  neither  architecture, 


468  THE  PIONEERS. 

nor  his  law,  was  quite  suitable  to  the  growing  wealth  and 
intelligence  of  the  settlement;  and  after  exacting  the  last 
cent  that  was  attainable  in  his  compromises,  to  use  the 
language  of  the  country,  he  "  pulled  up  stakes,"  and  pro 
ceeded  further  west,  scattering  his  professional  science  and 
legal  learning  through  the  land ;  vestiges  of  both  of  which 
are  to  be  discovered  there  even  to  the  present  hour. 

Poor  Jotham,  whose  life  paid  the  forfeiture  of  his  folly, 
acknowledged  before  he  died,  that  his  reasons  for  believing 
in  a  mine  were  extracted  from  the  lips  of  a  sibyl,  who,  by 
looking  in  a  magic  glass,  was  enabled  to  discover  the  hidden 
treasures  of  the  earth.  Such  superstition  was  frequent  in 
the  new  settlements ;  and  after  the  first  surprise  was  over, 
the  better  part  of  the  community  forgot  the  subject.  But, 
at  the  same  time  that  it  removed  from  the  breast  of  Rich 
ard  a  lingering  suspicion  of  the  acts  of  the  three  hunters,  it 
conveyed  a  mortifying  lesson  to  him,  which  brought  many 
quiet  hours,  in  future,  to  his  cousin  Marmaduke.  It  may 
be  remembered,  that  the  Sheriff  confidently  pronounced  this 
to  be  no  "  visionary  "  scheme,  and  that  word  was  enough  to 
shut  his  lips,  at  any  time  within  the  next  ten  years. 

Monsieur  Le  Quoi,  who  has  been  introduced  to  oui 
readers,  because  no  picture  of  that  country  would  be  faith 
ful  without  some  such  character,  found  the  island  of  Marti 
nique,  and  his  "  sucre-boosh,"  in  possession  of  the  English ; 
but  Marmaduke  and  his  family  were  much  gratified  in 
soon  hearing  that  he  had  returned  to  his  bureau,  in  Paris ; 
where  he  afterwards  issued  yearly  bulletins  of  his  happiness, 
and  of  his  gratitude  to  his  friends  in  America. 

With  this  brief  explanation,  we  must  return  to  our  narra-  f 
tive.  Let  the  American  reader  imagine  one  of  our  mildest 
October  mornings,  when  the  sun  seems  a  ball  of  silvery 
fire,  and  the  elasticity  of  the  air  is  felt  while  it  is  inhaled, 
imparting  vigor  and  life  to  the  whole  system  ;  the  weather, 
neither  too  warm  nor  too  cold,  but  of  that  happy  tempera 
ture  which  stirs  the  blood,  without  bringing  the  lassitude  ot 
spring.  It  was  on  such  a  morning,  about  the  middle  of  the 
month,  that  Oliver  entered  the  hall  where  Elizabeth  wai 
uutting  her  usual  order?  for  the  day,  and  requested  her  to 


THE   PIONEERS.  469 

join  him  in  a  short  excursion  to  the  lake  side.  The  tendei 
melancholy  in  the  manner  of  her  husband  caught  the  atten 
tion  of  Elizabeth,  who  instantly  abandoned  her  concerns, 
threw  a  light  shawl  across  her  shoulders,  and  concealing  her 
raven  hair  under  a  gypsy,  she  took  his  arm,  and  submitted 
herself,  without  a  question,  to  his  guidance.  They  crossed 
the  bridge,  and  had  turned  from  the  highway,  along  the  margin 
of  the  lake,  before  a  word  was  exchanged.  Elizabeth  well 
knew,  by  the  direction,  the  object  of  the  walk,  and  respected 
the  feelings  of  her  companion  too  much  to  indulge  in  untimely 
conversation.  But  when  they  gained  the  open  fields,.and 
her  eye  roamed  over  the  placid  lake,  covered  with  wild 
fowl  already  journeying  from  the  great  northern  waters  to 
seek  a  warmer  sun,  but  lingering  to  play  in  the  limpid  sheet 
of  the  Otsego,  and  to  the  sides  of  the  mountain,  which  were 
gay  with  the  thousand  dyes  of  autumn,  as  if  to  grace  their 
bridal,  the  swelling  heart  of  the  young  wife  burst  out  in 
speech. 

"  This  is  not  a  time  for  silence,  Oliver  ! "  she  said,  cling 
ing  more  fondly  to  his  arm  ;  "  everything  in  nature  seems 
to  speak  the  praises  of  the  Creator ;  why  should  we,  who 
have  so  much  to  be  grateful  for,  be  silent?" 

"  Speak  on  ! "  said  her  husband,  smiling ;  "  I  love  the 
sounds  of  your  voice.  You  must  anticipate  our  errand 
hither :  I  have  told  you  my  plans  ;  how  do  you  like  them  ?  " 

"  I  must  first  see  them,"  returned  his  wife.  "  But  I  have 
had  my  plans,  too ;  it  is  time  I  should  begin  to  divulge 
them." 

"  You !  It  is  something  for  the  comfort  of  my  old  friend 
Natty,  I  know." 

"  Certainly  of  Natty ;  but  we  have  other  friends  besides 
the  Leather-Stocking  to  serve.  Do  you  forget  Louisa,  and 
her  father  ?  " 

*'  No,  surely  ;  have  I  not  given  one  of  the  best  farms  in 
tha  county  to  the  good  divine?  As  for  Louisa,  I  should 
wish  you  to  keep  her  always  near  us." 

"  You  do  !  "  said  Elizabeth,  slightly  compressing  her  lips ; 
"  but  poor  Louisa  may  have  other  views  for  herself;  sh« 
may  wish  to  follow  my  example,  and  marry." 


470  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  I  don't  think  it,"  said  Effingham,  musing  a  moment 
a  I  really  don't  know  any  one  hereajbouts  good  enough  foi 
her." 

"  Perhaps  not  here ;  but  there  are  other  places  besides 
Tenipleton,  and  other  churches  besides  i  New  St.  Paul's/  " 

"  Churches,  Elizabeth !  you  would  not  wish  to  lose  Mr. 
Grant,  surely !  Though  simple,  he  is  an  excellent  man.  I 
shall  never  find  another  who  has  half  the  veneration  for  my 
orthodoxy.  You  would  humble  me  from  a  saint  to  a  very 
common  sinner." 

;'  It  must  be  done,  sir,"  returned  the  lady,  with  a  half- 
concealed  smile,  "  though  it  degrades  you  from  an  angel  to 
a  man." 

"  But  you  forget  the  farm." 

"  He  can  lease  it,  as  others  do.  Besides,  would  .you  have 
a  clergyman  toil  in  the  fields  ?  " 

u  Where  can  he  go  ?  you  forget  Louisa." 

"  No,  I  do  not  forget  Louisa,"  said  Elizabeth,  again  com 
pressing  her  beautiful  lips.  "  You  know,  Effingham,  that 
my  father  has  told  you  that  I  ruled  him,  and  that  I  should 
rule  you.  I  am  now  about  to  exert  my  power." 

"  Anything,  anything,  dear  Elizabeth,  but  not  at  the 
expense  of  us  all ;  not  at  the  expense  of  your  friend." 

"  How  do  you  know,  sir,  that  it  will  be  so  much  at  the 
expense  of  my  friend  ?  "  said  the  lady,  fixing  her  eyes  with  a 
searching  look  on  his  countenance,  where  they  met  only  the 
unsuspecting  expression  of  manly  regret. 

"  How  do  I  know  it  ?  why,  it  is  natural  that  she  should 
regret  us." 

"  It  is  our  duty  to  struggle  with  our  natural  feelings,"  re- ' 
turned  the  lady  ;  "  and  there  is  but  little  cause  to  fear  that 
such  a  spirit  as  Louisa's  will  not  effect  it." 

"  But  what  is  your  plan  ?  "        * 

"  Listen,  and  you  shall  know.  My  father  has  procured  a 
call  for  Mr.  Grant,  to  one  of  the  towns  on  the  Hudson, 
where  he  can  live  more  at  his  ease  than  in  journeying 
through  these  woods ;  where  he  can  spend  the  evening  of 
his  life  in  comfort  and  quiet ;  and  where  his  daughter  may 
meet  with  such  society,  and  form  such  a  connection,  as  may 
be  proper  for  one  of  her  years  ar.d  character." 


THE  PIONEERS.  471 

44  Bess !  you  aruaze  me !  I  did  not  think  you  had  been 
inch  a  manager  ! " 

"  O !  I  manage  more  deeply  than  you  imagine,  sir," 
said  the  wife,  archly  smiling  again ;  "  but  it  is  my  will,  and 
it  is  your  duty  to  submit,  — for  a  time  at  least." 

Effmgham  laughed ;  but  as  they  approached  the  end  of 
their  walk,  the  subject  was  changed  by  common  consent. 

The  place  at  which  they  arrived  was  the  little  spot  of 
level  ground,  where  the  cabin  of  the  Leather-Stocking  had 
BO  long  stood.1  Elizabeth  found  it  entirely  cleared  of  rub 
bish,  and  beautifully  laid  down  in  turf,  by  the  removal  of 
sods,  which,  in  common  with  the  surrounding  country,  had 
grown  gay,  under  the  influence  of  profuse  showers,  as  if  a 
second  spring  had  passed  over  the  land.  This  little  place 
was  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  mason- work,  and  they  entered 
by  a  small  gate,  near  which,  to  the  surprise  of  both,  the  rifle 
of  Natty  was  leaning  against  the  wall.  Hector  and  the 
slut  reposed  on  the  grass  by  its  side,  as  if  conscious  that, 
however  altered,  they  were  lying  on  the  ground,  and  were 
surrounded  by  objects,  with  which  they  were  familiar.  The 
hunter  himself  was  stretched  on  the  earth,"  before  a  head 
stone  of  white  marble,  pushing  aside  with  his  fingers  the 
long  grass  that  had  already  sprung  up  from  the  luxuriant 
soil  around  its  base,  apparently  to  lay  bare  the  inscription. 
By  the  side  of  this  stone,  which  was  a  simple  slab  at  the 
head  of  a  grave,  stood  a  rich  monument,  decorated  with  an 
arn,  and  ornamented  with  the  chisel. 

Oliver  and  Elizabeth  approached  the  graves  with  a  light 
read,  unheard  by  the  old  hunter,  whose  sunburnt  face  was 
working,  and  whose  eyes  twinkled  as  if  something  impeded 
their  vision.  After  some  little  time,  Natty  raised  himself 
ijlowly  from  the  ground,  and  said  aloud,  — 

"Well,  well— I'm  bold  to  say  it's  all  right!  There's 
something  that  I  suppose  is  reading ;  but  I  can't  make  any 
thing  of  it ;  though  the  pipe,  and  the  tomahawk,  and  the 
moccasins,  be  prettj  well  —  pretty  well,  for  a  man  that,  I 
dares  to  say,  never  seed  'ither  of  the  things.  Ah's  me  I 
there  they  lie,  side  by  side,  happy  enough !  Who  will  then 
be  to  put  me  in  the  'arth  when  my  time  comes  ?  " 

i  See  Appendix,  Note  0. 


472  THE   PIONEERS. 

"  When  that  unfortunate  hour  arrives,  Natty,  fi lends  shall 
not  be  wanting  to  perform  the  last  offices  for  you,1'  said 
Oliver,  a  little  touched  at  the  hunter's  soliloquy. 

The  old  man  turned,  without  manifesting  surprise,  for  he 
had  got  the  Indian  habits  in  this  particular,  and  running  hia 
hand  under  the  bottom  of  his  nose,  seemed  to  wipe  away 
his  sorrow  with  the  action. 

"You've  come  out  to  see  the  graves,  children,  have  ye?" 
he  said ;  "  well,  well,  they're  wholesome  sights  to  young  as 
well  as  old.'* 

"  I  hope  they  are  fitted  to  your  liking,"  said  Effingham ; 
"  no  one  has  a  better  right  than  yourself  to  be  consulted  in 
the  matter." 

"  Why,  seeing  that  I  ain't  used  to  fine  graves,"  returned 
the  old  man,  "  it  is  but  little  matter  consarning  my  taste. 
Ye  laid  the  Major's  head  to  the  west,  and  Mohegan's  to  the 
east,  did  ye,  lad  ?  " 

"  At  your  request  it  was  done." 

"  It's  so  best,"  said  the  hunter ;  "  they  thought  they  had 
to  journey  different  ways,  children  ;  though  there  is  One 
greater  than  all,  who'll  bring  the  just  together,  at  his  own 
time,  and  who'll  whiten  the  skin  of  a  black-moor,  and  place 
him  on  a  footing  with  princes." 

"  There  is  but  little  reason  to  doubt  that,"  said  Elizabeth, 
whose  decided  tones  were  changed  to  a  soft,  melancholy 
voice  j  "  I  trust  we  shall  all  meet  again,  and  be  happy  to 
gether." 

"  Shall  we,  child,  shall  we  ?  "  exclaimed  the  hunter,  with 
unusual  fervor;  "  there's  comfort  in  that  thought  too.  But 
before  I  go,  I  should  like  to  know  what  'tis  you  tell  these 
people,  that  be  flocking  into  the  country  like  pigeons  in  the 
Rpring,  of  the  old  Delaware,  and  of  the  bravest  white  man 
that  ever  trod  the  hills." 

EHingham  and  Elizabeth  were  surprised  at  the  mariner 
of  the  Leather-Stocking,  which  was  unusually  impressive 
and  solemn ;  but,  attributing  it  to  the  scene,  the  young 
mau  turned  to  tne  monument,  and  read  aloud, — 

" '  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Oliver  Ktlinpham,  Esquire 
forme*  ly  a  Major  in  his  B.  Majesty's  60th  Foot;  a  soldiw 


THE   PIOSEER3.  478 

of  tried  valor ;  a  subject  of  chivalrous  loyalty  ;  and  a  man 
of  honesty.  To  these  virtues,  he  added  the  graces  of  a 
Christian.  The  morning  of  his  life  was  spent  in  honor, 
wealth,  and  power ;  but  its  evening  was  obscured  by  pov 
erty,  neglect,  and  disease,  which  were  alleviated  only  by  the 
tender  care  of  his  old,  faithful,  and  upright  friend  and 
attendant,  Nathaniel  Burnppo.  His  descendants  rear  this 
stone  to  the  virtues  of  the  master,  and  to  the  enduring  grat 
itude  of  the  servant.' " 

The  Leather-Stocking  stared  at  the  sound  of  his  own 
name,  and  a  smile  of  joy  illumined  his  wrinkled  features,  as 
he  said,  — 

"  And  did  ye  say  it,  lad  ?  have  you  then  got  the  old  man's 
name  cut  in  the  stone,  by  the  side  of  his  master's  ?  God 
bless  ye,  children !  'twas  a  kind  thought,  and  kindness  goes 
to  the  heart  as  life  shortens." 

Elizabeth  turned  her  back  to  the  speakers.  Effingham 
made  a  fruitless  effort  before  he  succeeded  in  saying,  — 

"  It  is  there  cu*t  in  plain  marble  ;  but  it  should  have  been 
written  in  letters  of  gold !  " 

"  Show  me  the  name,  boy,"  said  Natty,  with  simple 
eagerness  ;  "  let  me  see  my  own  name  placed  in  such  honor. 
'Tig  a  gin'rous  gift  to  a  man  who  leaves  none  of  his  name 
and  family  behind  him,  in  a  country  where  he  has  tarried 
go  long." 

Eifingham  guided  his  finger  to  the  spot,  and  Natty  fol 
lowed  the  windings  of  the  letters  to  the  end  with  deep  in 
terest,  when  he  raised  himself  from  the  tomb,  and  said,  — 

"  I  suppose  it's  all  right ;  and  it's  kindly  thought,  and 
kindly  done !  But  what  have  ye  put  over  the  red-skin  ?  " 

"  You  shall  hear :  — 

*•  Tin's  stone  is  raised  to  the  memory  of  an  Indian  chief, 
of  the  Delaware  tribe,  who  was  known  by  the  several  namei 
of  John  Mohegan ;  Mohican ' "  — 

"  Mo-hee-can,  lad,  they  call  theirselves !  'he-can." 

"  Mohican  ;  *  and  Chingagook '  " — 

"  'Gach,  boy  ;  'gach-gook ;  Chingachgook,  which,  intar- 
preted,  means  Big  Sarpent.  The  name  should  be  set  down 
right,  for  an  Indian's  name  has  always  some  meaning  in  it.* 


474  THE  PIONEERS. 

"  I  will  see  it  altered.  *  He  was  the  last  of  his  people 
who  continued  to  inhabit  this  country  ;  and  it  may  be  said 
of  him,  that  his  faults  were  those  of  an  Indian,  and  his  vii> 
tues  those  of  a  man.' " 

"  You  never  said  truer  word,  Mr.  Oliver ;  ah's  me !  if 
you  had  knowed  him  as  I  did,  in  his  prime,  in  that  very 
battle  where  the  old  gentleman,  who  sleeps  by  his  side, 
saved  his  life,  when  them  thieves,  the  Iroquois,  had  him  at 
the  stake,  you'd  have  said  all  that,  and  more  too.  I  cut  the 
thongs  with  this  very  hand,  and  gave  him  my  own  toma 
hawk  and  knife,  seeing  that  the  rifle  was  always  my  fav'rite 
weapon.  He  did  lay  about  him  like  a  man  !  I  met  him 
as  I  was  coming  home  from  the  trail,  with  eleven  Mingo 
scalps  on  his  pole.  You  needn't  shudder,  Madam  Effing- 
ham,  for  they  was  all  from  shaved  heads  and  warriors. 
When  I  look  about  me,  at  these  hills,  where  I  used  to  could 
count  sometimes  twenty  smokes,  curling  over  the  tree-tops, 
from  the  Delaware  camps,  it  raises  mournful  thoughts,  to 
think  that  not  a  red-skin  is  left  of  them  all ;  unless  it  be  a 
drunken  vagabond  from  the  Oneidas,  or  them  Yankee  In 
dians,  who,  they  say,  be  moving  up  from  the  sea-shore ;  and 
who  belong  to  none  of  God's  creaturs,  to  my  seeming,  be 
ing,  as  it  were,  neither  fish  nor  flesh  —  neither  white  man 
nor  savage.  Well,  well !  the  time  has  come  at  last,  and  I 
must  go  "  — 

"  Go  !  "  echoed  Edwards,  "  whither  do  you  go  ?  " 

The  Leather-Stocking,  who  had  imbibed,  unconsciously, 
many  of  the  Indian  qualities,  though  he  always  thought  of 
himself  as  of  a  civilized  being,  compared  with  even  the 
Delawares,  averted  his  face  to  conceal  the  workings  of  hia 
muscles,  as  he  stooped  to  lift  a  large  pack  from  behind  the 
tomb,  which  he  placed  deliberately  on  his  shoulders. 

"  Go  ! "  exclaimed  Elizabeth,  approaching  him  with  a 
hurried  step  ;  "  you  should  not  venture  so  far  in  the  woods 
alone,  at  your  time  of  life,  Natty ;  indeed,  it  is  imprudent 
He  is  bent,  Effinghara,  on  some  distant  hunting." 

"  What  Mrs.  Effingham  tells  you  is  true,  Leather-Stock 
ing,"  said  Edwards ;  "  there  can  be  no  necessity  for  youi 
mbmitting  to  such  hardships  now !  So  throw  aside  j  oui 


THE  PIONEERS.  47ft 

pack,  and  confine  your  hunt  to  the  mountains  uear  us,  if  yo* 
will  go." 

"Hardship!  'tis  a  pleasure,  children,  and  the  greatest 
that  is  left  ine  on  this  side  the  grave." 

"  No,  no ;  you  shall  not  go  to  such  a  distance,"  cried 
Elizabeth,  laying  her  white  hand  on  his  deerskin  pack  ;  "  I 
tm  right !  I  feel  his  camp-kettle,  and  a  canister  of  powder ! 
ae  must  not  be  suffered  to  wander  so  far  from  us,  Oliver ; 
remember  how  suddenly  Mohegan  dropped  away." 

"I  knowed  the  parting  would  come  hard,  children;  I 
knowed  it  would ! "  said  Natty,  "  and  so  I  got  aside  to  look 
at  the  graves  by  myself,  and  thought  if  I  left  ye  the  keep 
sake  which  the  Major  gave  me,  when  we  first  parted  in  the 
woods,  ye  wouldn't  take  it  unkind,  but  would  know,  that, 
let  the  old  man's  body  go  where  it  might,  his  feelings  stayed 
behind  him." 

"  This  means  something  more  than  common  !  "  exclaimed 
the  youth  ;  "  where  is  it,  Natty,  that  you  purpose  going  ?  " 

The  hunter  drew  nigh  him  with  a  confident,  reasoning 
air,  as  if  what  he  had  to  say  would  silence  all  objections, 
and  replied,  — 

"  Why,  lad,  they  tell  me  that  on  the  Big  Lakes  there's 
the  best  of  hunting,  and  a  great  range,  without  a  white  mau 
on  it,  unless  it  may  be  one  like  myself.  I'm  weary  of  living 
in  clearings,  and  where  the  hammer  is  sounding  in  my  ears 
from  sunrise  to  sundown.  And  though  I'm  much  bound  to 
ye  both,  children  —  I  wouldn't  say  it  if  it  was  not  true  —  I 
crave  to  go  into  the  woods  ag'in,  I  do." 

"  Woods !  "  echoed  Elizabeth,  trembling  with  her  feel 
ings  ;  "  do  you  not  call  these  endless  forests  woods  ?  " 

"  Ah !  child,  these  be  nothing  to  a  man  that's  used  to  the 
wilderness.  I  have  took  but  little  comfort  sin'  your  father 
come  on  with  his  settlers ;  but  I  wouldn't  go  far,  while  the 
life  was  in  the  body  that  lies  under  the  sod  there.  But  now 
he's  gone,  and  Chingachgook  is  gone  ;  and  you  be  both 
young  and  happy.  Yes !  the  big  house  has  rung  with 
merriment  this  month  past !  And  now,  I  thought,  was  the 
time  to  try  to  get  a  little  comfort  in  the  close  of  my  daya 
Woods !  indeed !  I  doesn't  call  these  woods,  Madam  Effiu g 


*76  THE  PIONEERS. 

ham,  wLero  I  lose  myself  every  day  of  my  life  in  the  clew 


ings." 


"  If  there  be  anything  wanting  to  your  comfort,  name  it, 
Leather-Stocking  ;  if  it  be  attainable  it  is  yours." 

"  You  mean  all  for  the  best,  lad  ;  I  know  it ;  and  so  does 
Madam,  too  :  but  your  ways  isn't  my  ways.  'Tis  like  the 
dead  there,  who  thought,  when  the  breath  was  in  them,  that 
one  went  east,  and  one  went  west,  to  find  their  heavens  i 
but  they'll  meet  at  last ;  and  so  shall  we,  children.  Yes, 
hid  as  you've  begun,  and  we  shall  meet  in  the  land  of  the 
just  at  last." 

"  This  is  so  new !  so  unexpected !  "  said  Elizabeth,  in 
almost  breathless  excitement ;  "  I  had  thought  you  meant 
to  live  with  us  and  die  with  us,  Natty." 

"  Words  are  of  no  avail,"  exclaimed  her  husband  ;  "  the 
habits  of  forty  years  are  not  to  be  dispossessed  by  the  ties 
of  a  day.  I  know  you  too  well  to  urge  you  further,  Natty  ; 
unless  you  will  let  me  build  you  a  hut  on  one  of  the  distant 
hills,  where  we  can  sometimes  see  you,  and  know  that  you 
are  comfortable." 

"  Don't  fear  for  the  Leather-Stocking,  children ;  God 
will  see  that  his  days  be  provided  for,  and  his  ind  happy. 
I  know  you  mean  all  for  the  best,  but  our  ways  doesn't 
agree.  I  love  the  woods,  and  ye  relish  the  face  of  man ;  I 
eat  when  hungry,  and  drink  when  a-dry  ;  and  ye  keep  stated 
hours  and  rules  :  nay,  nay,  you  even  overfeed  the  dogs,  lad, 
from  pure  kindness ;  and  hounds  should  be  gaunty  to  run 
well.  The  meanest  of  God's  creaturs  be  made  for  some 
use,  and  I'm  formed  for  the  wilderness  ;  if  ye  love  me,  let 
me  go  where  my  soul  craves  to  be  ag'in  !  " 

The  appeal  was  decisive ;  and  not  another  word  ot 
entreaty  for  him  to  remain  was  then  uttered ;  but  Elizabeth 
bent  her  head  to  her  bosom  and  wept,  while  her  husband 
flashed  away  the  tears  from  his  eyes ;  and,  with  hands  that 
almost  refused  to  perform  their  office,  he  produced  his 
pocket-book,  and  extended  a  parcel  of  bank-notes  to  the 
hunter. 

tf  Take  these,"  he  said,  "  at  least  take  these  ;  secure  them 
about  your  person,  and  in  the  hour  of  need,  they  will  da 
you  good  service." 


THE  PIONEERS.  47? 

The  old  man  took  the  notes,  and  examined  them  with  a 
curious  eye. 

"  This,  then,  is  some  of  the  new-fashioned  money  that 
they've  been  making  at  Albany,  out  of  paper  !  It  can't  be 
worth  much  to  they  that  hasn't  Faming  !  No,  no,  lad  — 
take  back  the  stuff ;  it  will  do  me  no  sarvice.  I  took  kear 
to  get  all  the  Frenchman's  powcfer  afore  he  broke  up,  and 
they  say  lead  grows  where  I'm  going.  It  isn't  even  fit  for 
wads,  seeing  that  I  use  none  but  leathei  !  Madam  Effmg- 
ham,  let  an  old  man  kiss  your  hand,  and  wish  God's  choicest 
blessings  on  you  and  your'n." 

"  Once  more  let  me  beseech  you,  stay  ! "  cried  Elizabeth. 
"  Do  not,  Leather-Stocking,  leave  me  to  grieve  for  the  man 
who  has  twice  rescued  me  from  death,  and  who  has  served 
those  I  love  so  faithfully.  For  my  sake,  if  not  for  your 
own,  stay.  I  shall  see  you  in  those  frightful  dreams  that 
still  haunt  my  nights,  dying  in  poverty  and  age,  by  the  side 
of  those  terrific  beasts  you  slew.  There  will  be  no  evil, 
that  sickness,  want,  and  solitude  can  inflict,  that  my  fancy 
will  not  conjure  as  your  fate.  Stay  with  us,  old  man,  if  not 
for  your  own  sake,  at  least  for  ours." 

"  Such  thoughts  and  bitter  dreams,  Madam  Enlngham," 
returned  the  hunter,  solemnly,  "  will  never  haunt  an  inno 
cent  parson  long.  They'll*  pass  away  with  God's  pleasure. 
And  if  the  catamounts  be  yet  brought  to  your  eyes  in  sleep, 
'tis  not  for  my  sake,  but  to  show  you  the  power  of  Him 
that  led  me  there  to  save  you.  Trust  in  God,  Madam,  and 
your  honorable  husband,  and  the  thoughts  for  an  old  man 
like  me  can  never  be  long  nor  bitter.  I  pray  that  the  Lord 
will  keep  you  in  mind  —  the  Lord  that  lives  in  clearings  as 
well  as  in  the  wilderness  —  and  bless  you,  and  all  that 
belong  to  you,  from  this  time  till  the  great  day  when  the 
whites  shall  meet  the  red-skins  in  judgment,  and  justice  shall 
be  the  law,  and  not  power  " 

Elizabeth  raised  her  head,  and  offered  her  colorless  cheek 
to  his  salute,  when  he  lifted  his  cap  and  touched  it  respect 
fully.  His  hand  was  grasped  with  convulsive  fervor  by  the 
vcuth,  who  continued  silent.  The  hunter  prepared  himself 
lor  his  journey,  drawing  his  belt  tighter,  and  wasting  hii 


478  THE  PIONEERS. 

moments  in  the  little  reluctant  movements  of  a  sorrowfu. 
departure.  Once  or  twice  he  essayed  to  speak,  but  a  rising 
in  his  throat  prevented  it.  At  length  he  shouldered  his 
rifle,  and  cried  with  a  clear  huntsman's  call  that  echoed 
through  the  woods,  — 

"  He-e-e-re,  he-e-e-re,  pups  —  away,  dogs,  away ;  ye'll  be 
footsore  afore  ye  see  the  ind  of  the  journey !  " 

The  hounds  leaped  from  the  earth  at  this  cry,  and  scent' 
ing  around  the  graves  and  the  silent  pair,  as  if  conscious  of 
iheir  own  destination,  they  followed  humbly  at  the  heels  of 
their  master.  A  short  pause  succeeded,  during  which  even 
the  youth  concealed  his  face  on  his  grandfather's  tomb. 
When  the  pride  of  manhood,  however,  had  suppressed  the 
feelings  of  nature,  he  turned  to  renew  his  entreaties,  but 
saw  that  the  cemetery  was  occupied  only  by  himself  and  his 
wife. 

"  He  is  gone  ! "  cried  Effingham. 

Elizabeth  raised  her  face,  and  saw  the  old  hunter  stand- 
ing,  looking  back  for  a  moment,  on  the  verge  of  the  wood. 
As  he  caught  their  -glances,  he  drew  his  hard  hand  hastily 
across  his  eyes  again,  waved  it  on  high  for  an  adieu,  and 
uttering  a  forced  cry  to  his  dogs,  who  were  crouching  at  his 
feet,  he  entered  the  forest. 

This  was  the  last  that  they  ever  saw  of  the  Leather- 
Stocking,  whose  rapid  movements  preceded  the  pursuit 
which  Judge  Temple  both  ordered  and  conducted.  He  had 
gone  far  towards  the  setting  sun,  —  the  foremost  in  that 
band  of  pioneers  who  are  opening  the  way  for  the  march  of 
the  nation  across  the  continent 


APPENDIX 


NOTB  A,  CHAPTER  HI. 

«  The  house  itself,  or  the  'lastly/  was  of  stone ;  large,  sqnare,  and 
far  from  uncomfortable."  Page  32. 

The  ideal  mansion-house  of  Templeton  had  little  actual  resemblance 
to  Otsego  Hall  on  the  exterior.  The  sketch  given  in  "  The  Pioneers" 
was  drawn  rather  from  the  better  class  of  stone  houses  built  by  the 
early  settlers  in  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  some  of  which  remain  to 
the  present  day. 

Otsego  Hall,  for  such  was  the  name  given  by  Judge  Cooper  to  his 
village  home,  was  built  of  bricks,  made  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake.  The 
walls  were  of  a  solidity  unusual  in  a  new  American  village,  being  two 
feet  in  thickness ;  the  windows  were  large,  with  deep  window-seats ; 
the  entrance  doors,  front  and  rear,  were  also  of  unusual  size  for  that 
day.  The  floors  and  beams  were  of  solid  forest  oak.  A  large  hall, 
as  described  in  "  The  Pioneers,"  filled  the  centre  of  the  house,  about 
fifty  feet  in  length,  and  twenty-four  in  width.  The  original  furniture 
was  much  as  Mr.  Cooper  has  described  it :  "  Here  all  is  literal,"  says 
the  author  of  "  The  Pioneers,"  "  even  to  the  severed  arm  of  Wolfe, 
and  the  urn  which  held  the  ashes  of  Queen  Dido."  At  a  later  day  at 
least  one  third  of  this  hall  was  fiHed  with  plants  ;  Mr.  Cooper's  mother 
being  passionately  fond  of  them,  every  member  of  the  family  return 
ing  from  the  civilized  world  at  Albany,  New  York,  or  Philadelphia, 
was  expected  to  bring  her  an  offering  of  some  choice  flower,  and  in 
this  way  the  room  became  a  sort  of  greenhouse.  A  little  incident 
connected  with  Mr.  Cooper's  boyish  recollection  of  this  room  maj 
be  given.  One  day,  only  a  year  or  two  before  his  death,  after  his 
head  had  grown  gray,  he  suddenly  rose  from  his  writing-table  in  the 
library,  walked  into  the  hall,  and  went  up  to  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  room  ;  here  he  paused,  looked  up,  seemed  quite  surprised,  looked 
again,  and  then  turning,  with  a  smile,  observed  to  one  of  his  daugh 
ters  that  in  his  boyhood  a  clock  had  stood  in  that  particular  corner, 
fifty  years  earlier,  and  oddly  enough,  by  a  sort  of  mechanical  action 
of  the  memory,  he,  now  an  old  man,  had  left  his  writing  and  actually 
walked  to  the  corner  where  the  clock  had  stood,  with  the  intention  of 


480  APPENDIX. 

consulting  the  old  dial-plate  as  to  the  time  of  day.  No  clock  had 
stood  there  for  nearly  half  a  century,  and  the  whole  aspect  of  the 
room  had  been  entirely  changed  since  then.  It  was  a  singular  vivid 
revival  of  childish  memories,  amid  the  intellectual  labors  of  old  age. 
The  wood-work  of  the  rooms  at  Otsego  Hall  was  originally  painted 
in  different  colors,  —  straw-color,  blue,  gray,  and  red,  —  a  fashion  re 
cently  revived.  There  was  nothing  remarkable  about  the  roof,  but 
the  portico  with  its  stone  steps  and  platform,  and  the  columns  upheld 
by  the  roof,  instead  of  supporting  it,  were  sketched  from  reality,  such 
having  been  at  one  period  the  condition  of  the  porch. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Cooper  the  house  passed  into  the  hands  of 
strangers.  Soon  after  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  under  circumstances 
which  led  to  a  dispute  regarding  the  insurance.  A  village  street  now 
passes  directly  over  the  spot  where  that  hearthstone  lay. 

NOTE  B,  CHAPTER  VI. 

"  Dr.  Todd,  whose  reputation  was  hourly  increasing,  and,  luckilj 
for  his  patients,  his  information  also."  Page  67. 

Dr.  Elnathan  Todd  was  never  included  in  the  medical  faculty  of 
Otsego  County.  The  original  of  the  sketch  figured  for  a  time  about 
Oswcgo,  and  the  western  counties  of  the  State. 

NOTE  C,  CHAPTER  VI. 

"  The  whole  group  turned  their  heads  in  surprise,  and  beheld, 
standing  at  one  of  the  distant  doors  of  the  hall,  the  person  of  Indian 
John."  Tage  74. 

The  account  given  of  the  Delawares  and  Mohegans  in  this  chapter 
la  essentially  based  on  good  historical  authority.  There  were  early 
in  this  century  wandering  Mohegans  coming  to  Lake  Otsego,  and  to 
be  met  with  on  ground  farther  west,  much  in  the  condition  ascribed 
to  Chingachgook  in  his  old  age.  It  is  believed  that  this  name  was  a 
real  one.  The  Lenni  Lenape  tribes  gave  to  General  Wayne  the  name 
of  Sugach-Gook,  or  Black  Serpent. 

NOTE  D,  CHAPTER  VIIL 

a  So  motley  a  dramatis  persona."    Page  89. 

The  number  of  Europeans  who  came  to  the  new  village  has  be*n 
already  alluded  to.  Among  other  French  Emigres  the  celebrated  M. 
de  Talleyrand  came  to  look  at  this  outpost  of  civilization.  Ke  was  a 
guest  of  Judge  Cooper  for  a  short  time-  A  French  acrostic  on  the 
3ldest  daughter  of  his  host,  then  about  seventeen,  has  been  ascribed 
x>  him  by  the  traditions  of  the  village.  It  may  be  given  as  a  literarj 
curiosity 


APPENDIX.  481 

"ACROSTICIIE. 

**  Amiable  philosophe  au  printemps  de  son  age, 
Ni  los  temps,  ni  Ics  lieux  n'alterent  son  esprit; 
Ne  ccdant  qu'a  ses  gouts,  simple  et  sans  ctalage 
Au  milieu  des  deserts,  elle  lit,  pense,  ecrit. 
Cultivez,  belle  Anna,  votre  gout  pour  1'e'tude ; 
On  ne  saurait  ici  mieux  employer  son  temps; 
Otsego  n'es^  pas  gai  —  mais  tout  est  habitude ; 
Paris  vous  de'plairait  fort  au  premier  moment ; 
Et  qui  jouit  de  soi  dans  nne  solitude, 
Rentrant  au  monde  est  sur  d'cn  fairo  1'ornement. 

NOTE  E,  CHAPTER  VIII. 

"  The  Reverend  Mr.  Grant."    Page  98. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  the  venerable  Father  Nash,  the  zealous, 
kindly  missionary,  whose  name  is  revered  by  all  who  knew  him,  was 
the  original  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Grant  of  "  The  Pioneers."  This  is  en 
tirely  an  error.  In  personal  appearance,  character,  and  manner  the 
real  missionary  and  the  fictitious  clergyman  of  "  The  Pioneers  "  were 
widely  different.  Father  Nash  was  a  robust,  hale,  hearty,  fearless 
man,  full  of  faith,  full  of  zeal,  the  happy  husband  of  a  most  excellent, 
energetic  woman,  and  surrounded  with  a  thriving  family,  who  all 
lived  to  grow  up.  In  the  severe  hardships  encountered  by  both  there 
was  indeed  resemblance.  Those  hardships  were  often  very  severe. 
We  give  a  passage  from  Bishop  Chase's  "  Memoirs,"  in  which  he 
speaks  of  a  visit  to  Father  Nash,  in  those  early  days  :  "  He  lived  in  a 
cabin  built  of  unhewn  logs,  with  scarcely  a  pane  of  glass  to  let  in 
light  sufficient  to  read  his  Bible,  and  even  this  cabin  was  not  his  own, 
nor  was  he  permitted  to  live  in  one  for  a  long  time  together.  A  friend 
who  came  to  see  him,"  the  bishop,  then  a  young  clergyman,  "  helped 
him  to  carry  his  little  articles  of  crockery,  holding  one  handle  of  the 
basket  and  Mr.  Nash  the  other,  and  as  they  walked  the  road  they 
talked  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  He  had  not 
the  means  to  move  his  substance  from  one  cabin  to  another  but  with 
his  own  hands,  assisted  only  by  his  wife,  and  small  children,  and  a  pass 
ing  missionary.  Well  does  the  writer  remember  how  the  little  one- 
roomed  cabin  looked  as  he  entered  it ;  its  rude  door  hung  OH  wooden 
hinges,  creaking  as  they  turned ;  how  joyful  chat  good  man  was  ihut 
be  had  b^en  mindful  to  fetch  a  few  nails,  which  he  had  used  in  the 
v*ther  cabin  just  left,  for  his  comfort  in  this,  now  the  receptacle  of  all 
fcis  substance.  These  he  drove  into  the  logs  with  great  judgment, 
dioosing  the  place  most  appropriate  for  his  hat,  his  ccat,  and  othei 
garments  of  himself  and  family.  All  this  while,  hi*  patient  wife. 


482  APPENDIX. 

directing  the  children  to  kindle  the  fire,  prepared  the  food  for  —  ahall 
we  say  a  stranger  ?  No  ;  but  for  one  who  by  sympathy  felt  himseli 
more  their  brother  than  by  all  the  ties  of  nature,  and  who  by  the  ex 
ample  set  before  him  learned  a  lesson  of  inexpressible  use  to  him  all 
the  days  of  his  subsequent  life." 

Father  Nash,  himself,  in  a  letter  speaking  of  that  period  of  his  life 
jays  :  "  I  was  the  only  minister  for  many  years  —  happy  years.  I 
never  felt  discouraged,  neither  did  I  feel  alone.  My  wife  was  then 
living,  a  noble-spirited,  sensible  woman,  who  instead  of  feeling  dis 
couraged  was  the  first  to  cheer  me  on  in  my  arduous  labors.  The 
country  was  then  comparatively  a  wilderness.  Often  she  gave  me 
one  child,  then  got  on  the  horse  behind  me  with  another  in  her  arms, 
and  thus  we  would  £0  to  public  worship  for  a  number  of  miles.  She 
excelled  in  music,  and  I  understood  it  well ;  we  were  never  confounded 
in  that  part  of  the  service  ;  and  when  the  congregation  did  not  well 
understand  how  to  make  the  responses,  she  always  did  it,  in  a  solemn, 
dignified  way." 

Husband  and  wife  now  lie  interred  in  the  churchyard  of  Christ 
Church,  Cooperstown,  in  ground  shaded  by  two  fine  pines  —  a  spct 
chosen  by  the  good  old  missionary  himself  some  years  before  his  death 
Father  Nash  was  the  first  rector  of  Christ  Church,  Cooperstown. 

NOTE  F,  CHAPTER  XIII. 
"  In  the  original  plan."    Page  142. 

The  plan  originally  adopted  for  the  village  on  Lake  Otsego  was 
very  different  from  what  has  since  been  carried  out.  The  business 
Btreet  was  intended  to  follow  the  western  bank  of  the  Susquehanna. 
It  was  to  be  a  compactly  built  market-town,  according  to  the  English 
fashion,  followed  in  the  older  villages  of  Pennsylvania  and  Maryland. 
Lancaster,  in  Pennsylvania,  would  appear  to  have  been  the  model :  — 

"  In  towns  compactly  built  there  is  a  quicker  circulation  of  senti 
ment  and  mutual  convenience ;  each  follows  his  own  art  without  de- 
viaticn,  and  becomes  more  perfect  in  it.  There  is  more  of  emulation ; 
a  kind  of  city  pride  arises  and  acts  advantageously  upon  the  manners 
and  modes  of  life  ;  better  houses  are  built,  more  comforts  introduced, 
and  there  is  more  civility  and  civilization. 

"  Villages  and  towns  built  on  extensive  lots,  where  the  inhabitants 
are  dispersed,  never  make  much  progress  in  trade.  They  have  all 
the  disadvantages  of  towns,  without  their  comforts  and  conveniences. 

"  Where  the  inhabitants  are  at  a  distance  from  each  other  there  is 
less  society,  less  useful  communication  upon  subjects  of  common  con 
cern,  such  as  the  education  of  children  and  the  like ;  there  is  less  pol 
ish  of  manners,  more  carelessness  in  dress  and  demeanor,  and  more 
languor  and  indifference  in  every  sort  of  improvement.  The  labor  oi 


APPENDIX.  483 

two  or  three  hundred  industrious  men  concentrated  to  like  money 
collected  in  a  bank ;  when  scattered  in  distant  quarters  its  effect! 
amount  to  little;  when  brought  together  it  resembles  the  heait  from 
and  to  which  circulation  flows,  while  it  gives  life  and  health  to  the 
remotest  extremes.  A  good  instance  of  this  is  the  town  of  Lancas 
ter,  in  Pennsylvania ;  without  any  one  actual  advantage,  nor  any  that 
I  can  perceive  other  than  that  of  being  in  the  beginning  compactly 
settled,  it  has  risen  to  be  the  seventh  in  the  Union  in  point  of  popula 
tion  and  importance." — Letter  of  Judge  Cooper,  1805. 

NOTE  G,  CHAPTER  XIII. 

"  Squire  Doolittle  .  .  .  you  know  what  is  law,  and  what  ia  no* 
law."  Page  149. 

"  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  a  mischievous  spirit  of  litigation  should 
be  encouraged  by  some  of  the  justices,  who,  for  the  sake  of  a  paltry 
fee,  forget  the  great  duty  of  their  office,  that  of  preserving  peace,  and 
that  it  should  have  increased,  as  it  has  clone  of  late  years,  to  a  shame 
ful  extent.  I  have  known  of  more  than  one  hundred  precepts  being 
issued  in  one  day  by  some  of  the  '  squires.'  A  magistrate  who  be 
comes  so  ready  an  instrument  in  contention  may  be  considered  as  a 
living  calamity.  Some,  however,  known  to  me,  are  of  a  different 
stamp.  Such  have  carried  the  spirit  of  benevolence  so  far  as  to  leave 
their  own  business  and  travel  miles  for  the  sake  of  reconciling  par 
ties,,  and  putting  an  end  to  quarrels,  and  have  sought  no  other  reward 
than  the  satisfaction  felt  in  doing  good.  Sometimes  proclamations 
are  posted  up  in  the  country  inns,  notifying  that  by  virtue  of  an  ex 
ecution  issued  at  the  office  of  A.  B.,  the  cow  of  John,  or  the  bed  of 
Peter  is  to  be  sold  on  such  a  day.  These  proclamations  serve  to  ad 
vertise  the  office  of  this  trader  in  justice,  and  bring  him  in  more  prac 
tice,  and  also  more  custom  to  the  tavern,  for  when  the  day  of 
sale  arrives  eating  and  drinking  are  of  course.  Here,  of  those  who 
have  not  credit,  payment  is  demanded,  another  dispute  arises,  and 
another  suit  is  commenced,  and  time  and  money  are  wasted,  which,  if 
well  employed,  would  have  added  to  the  comfort  of  the  family,  and 
increased  the  stock  of  the  farm. 

"  Where  religious  establishments  prevail,  there  is  more  forbear 
ance  and  more  accommodation.  The  magistrate  catches  the  tone  and 
temper  of  the  society,  and  is  a  useful  member  of  it.  Upon  such  in 
stitutions  then  depend  in  a  great  measure  the  destruction  of  the  vices 
here  mentioned ;  and  it  will  be  the  certain  result  of  those  establish 
ments,  unless  the  spirit  of  party  should  run  too  high,  and  prevent  the 
election  of  men  whose  motives  will  be  ic.  their  honest  pride  of  charac- 
>r,  and  in  the  feelings  of  conscience  and  duty."  —  fitter  of  Judgi 
C«oper,  1805. 


48-4  APPENDIX. 

NOTB  n,  CHAPTEK  XXI. 

"  A  pine  of  mor  3  than  ordinary  growth  stood  where  my  dwelling 
If  now  placed."  Page  240. 

The  largest  pines  found  in  Otsego  County  measured  six  feet  in 
diameter,  and  nearly  two  hundred  feet  in  height.  But  these  were 
rare ;  pines  from  three  to  five  feet  in  diameter  were  not  uncommon 
iii  the  original  forest.  Oaks,  elms,  chestnuts,  ashes,  and  niaplea  of 
great  size  were  very  numerous.  The  hill-tops  at  that  period  were  all 
crowned  with  a  line  of  evergreen  pinnacles,  rising  often,  fifty  or  sixty 
feet  above  the  lower  forest,  and  adding  greatly  to  the  dignity  of  the 
low  mountains.  Few  of  the  hills  now  show  this  wild  outline  against 
the  sky.  The  woods  have  now  the  rounder  summit  of  trees  of  » 
•econd  growth. 

NOTE  I,  CHAPTER  XXII. 
Pigeons.    Page  249. 

The  immense  flocks  of  pigeons  which  took  their  annual  flight  over 
Lake  Otsego  seventy  years  ago  have  long  since  vanished.  It  is  only 
occasionally  that  small  flocks  of  a  score  or  two  now  attract  attention 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  village. 

NOTE  J. 
«  The  Cricket."    Page  256. 

This  piece  of  artillery,  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  village,  was  left 
on  this  ground  when  it  was  a  wilderness  by  the  army  of  General 
Clinton,  in  1779.  It  was  a  large  iron  swivel,  dug  up  when  Otsego 
Hall  was  built.  After  doing  good  service  in  firing  innumerable  patri 
otic  salutes,  it  was  burst  in  the  same  good  cause  on  a  certain  Fourth 
of  July,  to  the  great  grief  of  the  village  lads.  It  had  met  with  many 
adventures  by  field  and  flood,  having  been  once  thrown  into  the  lake. 
At  the  time  of  its  final  disaster,  it  is  said  there  was  no  very  per- , 
eeptible  difference  between  its  touch-hole  and  its  muzzle. 

NOTE  K. 
The  Otsego  Bass. 

"  The  world  has  no  better  fish  than  the  bass  of  Otsego ;  it  unite* 
the  richness  of  the  shad  to  the  firmness  of  the  salmon."  Page  266. 

The  Otsego  Bass :  Coregonus  Otsego,  —  Salmq  Otsego.  This  fish  has 
been  thought  peculiar  to  Otsego  Lake.  "It  is,"  says  Dr.  DeHay 
*  among  fishes  what  grouse,  and  canvas-back  duck  are  among  gama 
The  flesn  is  firm,  white,  and  delicate.  It  is  never  canght  with  thi 


APPENDIX.  485 

kook,  but  5,000  have  been  taken  at  one  draught  of  the  seine."  This 
was  very  early  in  the  history  of  the  village.  Lake  Otsego  is  now  rich 
In  pickerel,  which  were  introduced  from  Canadetaga  Lake.  For 
merly  this  fish  was  unknown  in  the  Otsego.  One  fisherman  lately 
caught  2,000  pickerel  in  three  months,  from  October  1  to  January  1. 

There  is  an  association  in  Cooperstown,  called  the  Village  Improve 
ment  Society,  whose  name  explains  its  objects.  Among  other  tasks, 
it  has  undertaken  to  preserve  the  ILsh  in  the  lake.  Nothing  could 
well  exceed  the  wanton  recklessness  with  which  the  noble  bass  peroliai 
to  Lake  Otsego  has  been  destroyed  in  past  years.  Not  satisfied  with 
putting  the  bass  under  legal  protection,  the  Improvement  Society  is 
now  aiming  at  increasing  their  numbers.  They  have  established  a 
"  hatching-house  "  for  the  purjxxse.  The  work  began  in  December, 
1871,  when  at  least  1,000,000,  of  bass  eggs  were  on  the  wire  trays 
in  the  troughs.  The  eggs  died  at.  the  rate  of  five  or  six  thousand  a 
day.  On  the  10th  of  February,  1872,  there  were  500,000  living  eggs 
in  the  house  in  good  condition,  the  tiny  fish  visible.  On  the  3d  of 
March  the  first  bass  were  hatched,  after  eighty-four  days  in  the  house. 
In  one  hundred  and  fifteen  days  all  were  hatched.  In  the  months  of 
March  and  April,  1S72,  these  tiny  fish  were  placed  in  the  lake,  74,000 
bass,  and  G,500  trout  with  them. 

What  would  Natty  have  thought  of  this  novel  process  of  "hatch 
ing  "  fish  by  the  hundred  thousand !  "We  fancy  we  can  *see  his  silent 
laugh  from  across  the  lake,  where  he  stands  leaning  on  his  rifle. 


NOTE  L,  CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

"The  glaring  eyes  of  a  female  panther,  fixed  on  them  in  horrid 
malignity,  and  threatening  to  leap."  Page  316. 

Not  long  since  there  appeared  in  the  papers  an  account  of  a  hun 
ter,  upon  whose  head  a  panther  had  leaped,  as  he  was  sitting  in  the 
woods.  A  severe  struggle  ensued.  The  man  was  seriously  wounded;, 
but  saved  himself  by  plunging  into  a  piece  of  water  close  at  hand, 
and  diving  beneath  the  surface.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  these 
animals  have  occasionally  inflicted  fatal  wounds.  Governor  DeWitt 
Clinton  mentioned  a  panther,  killed  early  in  this  century  near  Oneida 
Lake,  by  a  Frenchman.  The  animal  was  shot  in  the  attitude  of  leap 
ing  on  the  man.  Its  length  was  nine  feet  eleven  inches.  The  head 
waa  taken  to  Schenectady,  where  it  may  possibly  still  be  found. 

NOTE  M,  CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

The  whipping-post,  and  its  companion  the  stocks,  were  not  yel 
by  the  more  merciful  expedient  of  the  public  prison,    fm 


48G  APPENDIX. 

mediately  in  front  of  the  jail  those  relief  of  the  older  times  were  slto> 
atcd,  as  a  lesson  of  precautionary  justice  to  the  eril  doers  of  tin 
settlement."  Page  3S8. 

The  Tillage  jail  stood  in  what  is  now  called  "  Pioneer  Street/'  on 
the  eastern  side.  Directly  opposite,  on  the  western  side  of  the  street, 
stood  the  stocks  and  the  whipping-post.  In  July,  1795,  a  man  was 
flogged  at  the  whipping-post  for  stealing  some  pieces  of  ribbon. 

NOTE  N,  CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

"  Up,  and  away  !  Even  now  we  may  be  too  late ;  the  flames  are 
circling  round  the  point  of  the  rock  below  .  .  .  our  only  chance  mnst 
be  o~er  the  precipice.  Away,  away ! "  Page  422. 

li  has  been  doubted  whether  life  could  be  really  endangered  by 
these  forest  fires.  But  the  present  generation,  after  reading  of  all  the 
horg<^s  of  the  fires  in  Wisconsin  and  Michigan  during  the  terrible 
drought  of  the  summer  of  1871,  can  unhappily  no  longer  doubt  on  this 
subject.  In  the  early  years  of  the  settlement  on  Lake  Otsego,  there 
was  a  fire  of  this  kind  especially  terrible,  when  the  entire  lake  shores 
and  the  village  were  surrounded  by  a  network  of  flame.  The  writer 
of  this  note  has  received  an  account  of  that  fire  from  a  near  relative. 
The  effect  was  described  as  terrific,  and  for  a  short  time  the  danger 
to  the  Tillage  was  serious. 

NOTE  O,  CHAPTER  XLI. 

"The  little  spot  of  level  ground,  where  the  cabin  of  the  Leather 
stocking  had  so  long  stood."  Page  471. 

The  cabin  of  Leatherstocking  was  supposed  to  have  stood  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  on  the  ground  now  occupied  by  Lake-wood 
Cemetery,  which  was  not  even  planned  until  more  than  thirty  yean 
after  the  publication  of  "  The  Pioneers." 


BE 


, 


14  DAY  USE 

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